The Meaning of Sark
by xygrlnxtdoor
Summary: Ever wonder how Sark got to be the way he is? Why is he so drawn to Sydney? They have a lot more in common then Sydney wants to admit. The story takes place after Season 1. Sydney/Sark Sydney/Vaughn
1. Goodnight Ms Bristow

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; I'm just borrowing them for a while. This takes place after Season 1. This is going to be a centered around Sark and Sydney with additional new characters along with the original characters. Of course there will be a little Sydney and Vaughn. Will and Sydney will become really close friends.  
  
Chapter One: Goodnight Ms. Bristow  
  
Sydney is strapped into a chair with the only light in the room directly over her head. Slumped over with her eyes closed, she is unable to hide her exhaustion and discomfort from beneath the glaring light. Sensing an intruder she quickly straightens up, eyes alert. Unable to see anything, Sydney followed the sound of the intruder's footsteps as it circled around her.  
  
"I know it's you Sark." said Sydney knowing without a doubt that it was he, even without actually seeing him.  
  
"Ahhh, is it time for me to change my aftershave?" Sark's voice, tinged with a slight British accent, replied directly in front of her.  
  
"No, I can tell it's you by the way you make my flesh crawl." Of the few times she'd been in his company, Sark always provoked a frisson of and indescribable feeling within Sydney, one similar to the feeling that alerted her to danger. A feeling that she'd never admit to Sark who she knew would revel in the fact that she found him dangerous and would use it to his advantage somehow.  
  
Sark sighed and resumed his pacing around her. "I came to see if there was anything that you needed."  
  
"Is this supposed to be an interrogation? Because if it is, don't quit your day job. Whatever that is, you must be better at it then this! But then again, I'm sure that your presence is torture enough for anyone." Sydney lashed out. She didn't like feeling helpless, and she resented Sark's silent but clear message that he was in control of the situation wherein she was not.  
  
"Torture is not in my repertoire Mrs. Bristow. If you can give me your word that you won't try to escape, I'll release you from that chair." Sark said pausing his pacing around her.  
  
"How magnanimous of you. I won't try to escape." She acquiesced quickly, too quickly.  
  
Sark, stepping out of the shadows, crouched to her left side and unbuckled the leather strap from her wrist. Noticing the ugly bruise and chaffing on it, he gently brushed it with his fingertips.  
  
Surprised by the caress, Sydney took a sharp intake of breath and quickly withdrew her hand.  
  
"Does it hurt?" Sark asked tilting his head slightly up and to the side to look into her face.  
  
She looked down into his deceptively innocent face not buying Sark's concerned look for a minute. He probably got some sick pleasure in enjoying her pain, she thought. She answered with a glare, blaming him for her injuries. After all, she wouldn't have the bruises if she hadn't been strapped into a chair. She wondered how he would like it if their roles were reversed and it was him in the chair instead of her. Her lips curved slightly at the thought.  
  
"I'll get you some ointment for it." He said standing up as he flashed her one of his secretive smirks. One that made Sydney feel like he knew exactly what she'd been thinking.  
  
Sark left the room giving Sydney time to free the rest of her bonds herself. Once she was finished and she made certain that she was alone in the room, she quickly searched the perimeter of the room for an exit other then the obvious one. After about a minute she spotted an air vent directly over the chair that she'd been strapped into for the last 24 hours. She hadn't noticed it because the light was hanging right next to it, hiding its view from below.  
  
Sydney stepped up onto the chair and jumped, but she couldn't reach the bars covering the vent. She balanced herself on the arms of the chair and readied herself to jump. Taking a deep breath she jumped up and grabbed a hold of the bars intending to pull them out using gravity and her weight.  
  
The vent cover came out too easily causing Sydney to crash onto the ground barely missing the chair and landing awkwardly on her left ankle. She was able to prevent the vent cover from hitting the ground by cushioning it with her body. The last thing she wanted was to alert someone to her escape. She quietly set the cover down and got to her feet  
  
She ignored the pain shot that through her ankle as she put her weight on it. Sydney knew that she wouldn't be able to pull herself up into the vent by jumping from the chair's arms, especially with an injured ankle.  
  
She placed the vent cover over the chair and used the straps on the arms to keep it from sliding to the ground creating a small ramp. She backed up to the end of the room and took a running start and used her makeshift ramp to propel herself into the vent. She pulled herself up and through the vent.  
  
Sydney ignored the nagging feeling that the escape had been to easy. Instead she quickly scrambled through the air vent until she came to a dead end. She wasn't able to quite finish her frustrated groan when the vent beneath her fell away causing her to fall into the room below.  
  
The impact caused her to lose her bearings. She allowed herself a minute to recover then rolled to her side only to notice two spotlessly polished black shoes in front of her. Her eyes made trail up the leg, past the hips, past the stomach and chest, and into the face of Sark who held out his hand to assist her.  
  
Instead of taking the proffered hand she spun on her side and kicked out her right leg and knocked his feet out from under him. She rolled backward into a crouch and then stood up just as Sark mirrored her movement and got to his feet. Sydney furiously threw out her best punches and kicks as all her anger, fear, and frustration of the last week arose to the surface. But it wasn't enough to overcome her exhaustion and Sark's deflecting skills.  
  
She paused panting after 5 minutes of ineffectual attacks and had to bend over to catch her breath. She now wished that she'd accepted the previous food offerings so that she wouldn't be so weak. She waited until Sark got a little closer before she attempted one last time to punch him in the face. Like all the others, it never found its target. Sark grabbed her wrist as it sailed past his head and twisted her arm behind her back. He used her momentum to slam her against the wall, and then trapped her against it with his body, not allowing her to escape.  
  
"You never disappoint me, Ms. Bristow." He growled into her ear, alluding that he had expected her to escape. They were so close that Sydney could feel his heart beating steadily against her back. His breathing, amplified due to their close proximity, was loud and warm against the back of her neck and ear. An electric charge starting from her ear made its way down her body. Not realizing that she had stopped breathing Sydney felt herself getting dizzy. She tried to take in a deep breath but it was too late.  
  
Feeling her muscles slacken, Sark stepped back and released her only to grab her again before she hit the ground, unconscious.  
  
Instead of trying to revive her, Sark shook his head and smiled ruefully. He had learned something new about her in the last 10 minutes. Sydney was a dangerous adversary because when she was trapped, she could assess the situation and plan an escape. Then if it failed, she would go down fighting. He picked her up, carried her to a bed in the corner of the room, and laid her on it.  
  
Sark had noticed that she had favored her left leg a little when she'd been fighting. Sure enough, when he checked her ankle, it was swollen. He went into the bathroom several feet away and pulled out a first aid kit. He returned to the bed and set the kit next to Sydney. He then pulled out an ice pack from the first aid kit. He then broke the inner seal of the pack and shook it to hurry up the cooling process. Propping Sydney's leg up with a few pillows and he placed the ice pack strategically on her ankle to get maximum use out of it.  
  
Sark then delved back inside the first aid kit and pulled out a tube filled with a gel like substance and some gauze. He gently rubbed the gel on one wrist and then covered it with gauze. He repeated the action for the other wrist. He put all the medical supplies back into the kit and propping himself on the bed with one hand; he used the other to shove the kit under the bed. As he pushed himself from the bed he noticed how close it was to her hair. He brushed the hair back from her face without waking her. Her still unconscious form shivered in response.  
  
Grabbing the blanket from the foot of the bed, he covered her with it. Then he sat down in a chair next to the bed with thoughtful look on his face and watched her sleep. 


	2. Breakfast with Sark

Chapter Two: Breakfast with Sark  
  
Sydney, believing that she was at home in her own bed, woke up slowly, stretching languorously until her spider senses alerted her to his presence. Confused, she gathered the blanket around her defensively; and scrambled off the bed. Her ankle collapsed under her weight but Sark grab her before she could fall.  
  
"Careful, Ms. Bristow, I haven't been diligently icing that ankle for the last 12 hours to have you break it." Sark was barely able to get her on the bed before she pushed him away.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Sydney asked still slightly groggy.  
  
"You're in my room." Sark replied in a patronizing tone. Sydney took in the large furnished studio style room slightly confused as to how she got there.  
  
"Why did you bring me here then?" Sydney countered still trying to clear her head.  
  
"I believe it was you who 'dropped' in." Sark stated before walking into the kitchen area.  
  
"Oh!" The memories of the last two weeks came with a crash eradicating all traces of the few seconds of joy she felt in waking up in a comfortable bed.  
  
"I've made you some food. Before rejecting it, please keep in mind that you'll need a lot more strength for your next escape attempt." He gestured toward a small table set for two. He politely pulled out a chair for her to sit in but she ignored him and sat down in the opposite chair.  
  
"I gave you my word that I wouldn't TRY to escape. I escaped so." Sydney stared at the food suspiciously until Sark reached over and ate a bite from her plate.  
  
Convinced that it was safe, she forced herself not to eat too quickly even though she was ravenous. She didn't want to get sick especially not in front of Sark since he'd already seen her at her worst. She wondered if the omelet was delicious because she was so hungry or if it was the food itself.  
  
It took her a few bites before realizing that the omelet was prepared exactly the way she liked it. She stopped eating as a few things came into focus. The surreal ness of the situation, eating breakfast with Sark would have been the last thing she would have thought she would be doing two weeks ago. Another more disturbing realization was that Sark had manipulated her into coming into his room, taking a rest, and eating food all the while making her feel that she had a choice in the matter. She lost her appetite. She'd underestimated him and forgotten for a few moments how dangerous he was. She promised herself that she would never do it again.  
  
"Care to share your thoughts Ms. Bristow?" He dabbed his mouth with his napkin and leaned back into his chair, giving her his full attention.  
  
"You're a killer." Sydney blurted out unable to contain her annoyance at being manipulated.  
  
"Not my top ten topics to talk about during breakfast but if you insist. I have killed but then you have as well." Sark pointed out.  
  
"But you enjoy it." She accused.  
  
"I enjoy it about as much as you do." He stated not offended.  
  
"I don't enjoy killing!" She denied insulted.  
  
Sark stared into her eyes, searchingly, forcing her into an electrically charged battle of wills. Thrown by what she sees there, Sydney looks away first.  
  
"We are alike, you and I. We do what needs to be done." Sark explained.  
  
"I'm not like you! I'll never be like you. I watched as you executed the head of FTL and K Directorate without blinking and eye..."  
  
"They deserved to die." He said emotionlessly cutting her off.  
  
"How can you sit there and be so blasé about it? Even if they deserved it, it still doesn't make it right for you to kill them."  
  
"Spare me your lectures Ms. Bristow. Are you telling me that if you had a chance to execute the men who were responsible for killing your fiancée that you wouldn't take it?"  
  
"That's different, they took the man I loved, what did K-director and FTL ever do to you?" Even as she finished the question she realized that something had been done to him.  
  
"You don't want to get into this kind of a discussion with me Ms. Bristow, you might not like what you hear." He was good at hiding his tension but with her trained eye she could see it, the slight narrowing of his eyes and clench of this jaw. For the first time in the last week she had the upper hand and she pettily decided it was Sark's turn to feel uncomfortable.  
  
"But I do want to get into this kind of discussion! What horrible things did they do to you Mr. Sark?" Sydney taunted.  
  
"Who said they did anything to me?" He replied evading the issue.  
  
"Come on Sark! Don't you want to share war stories? Don't tell me YOU had a fiancée that they decided to execute for no reason at all?"  
  
"I hate to cut this short but I do have a previous engagement." Sark said getting up but not before Sydney noticed a flash of some kind of emotion on his face.  
  
"Running away?" Sydney taunted.  
  
"I recommend you finish your breakfast before it gets cold. I'll be back in 15 minutes to brief you before you leave." He said cryptically leaving the room.  
  
"Before I leave for where?" She shouted out but all she heard was the shutting of the door. 


	3. Silk Boxers and Old Spice

Chapter Three:  Silk Boxers and Old Spice

Sydney glared at the offending door that had closed behind Sark.  Her only comfort was the realization that she'd found a chink in Sark's emotional amour but only now she wished she hadn't bated him.  In his infuriating way he'd retaliated by punishing her like a child by locking her in her room for being bad.  She quickly finished off the omelet and by habit gathered up the dishes to put into the kitchen.  She was annoyed to find that Sark had taken his and her knife when she hadn't been paying attention.  Did he always have to be so damn thorough?  

She pictured stabbing him with her fork but when she looked down at the fork she noticed how delicate the prongs were and how useless it would be as a weapon.  But it could come in handy as a lock pick.  

Sydney focused her thoughts and decided to search the room for anything that might assist her or be of interest to the CIA.  The room looked like any other room with paintings on the wall and neutral colored rugs on the floor. The dresser drawers contained various neatly folded clothes with the exception of the top one that contained an array of silk boxers. 

As she searched through the boxers she remembered the painfully sweet memory of Danny.  He'd started only wearing silk boxers after she'd told him how she loved the feel of them against her skin.  She'd even told him about a particularly erotic fantasy she had of him wearing a red one.  In turn, he stripped danced for her their last Valentines Day wearing red boxers trying to turning her fantasy into reality.  The dance had been more comically then sexy but it was his wanting to please her by doing crazy things that were only one of the many things she'd loved about him.  

_"Tell me my love; is this everything that you dreamed of?" Danny asked doing his best rendition of Fabio by using his deepest, sexiest, faux accented voice.  He was wearing a rented tuxedo that came with a top hat and cane.   _

_Sydney who was sitting on the bed was trying her hardest not to laugh.  "More, much more…"  She squeaked out.  She knew what was coming next.  She had told him about a fantasy of hers a few weeks ago and it looked like Danny was going to act it out._

_Danny used the cane to turn on the music as he had rehearsed.  As the music came on he posed for __Sydney__'s benefit.  He then threw the hat to __Sydney_ only find that it was the cane he threw and not the hat.  __

_Sydney__ caught the cane deftly from the air with one hand and nodded for him to continue._

_Danny tossed the hat aside and began gyrating to the music slowly taking off his bow tie followed by his jacket and shirt.  After each item was removed from his body, he whirled it above his head and then tossed it toward __Sydney__. He then turned around so that __Sydney__ would get a view of his backside before he began jiggling it._

_Sydney__ had to stuff Danny's shirt into her mouth to keep from laughing._

_Then like a seasoned stripper Danny tore the Velcro pants from his body for the finale.  The absence of sound caused Danny, who was only wearing red silk boxers, to whirl around wondering what was wrong.  He saw __Sydney__ with her face pressed against the bed, shoulders shaking. _

_"__Sydney__!  Are you ok?  What's wrong?"  Danny asked concerned._

_"Oh Danny, that was… that was…"  __Sydney__ could no longer contain the laughter anymore.   _

_Instead of being insulted and getting mad as __Sydney_ feared, Danny laughed along with her.  "So, not like your fantasy huh?" He asked after the laughter died down.__

_Sydney looked into his eyes, all traces of laugher gone from her eyes.  "You're my fantasy Danny."_

_"Ok, I can accept that.  Step aside Fabio, step aside Romeo, here comes Dan the __Man._"  Danny joked.__

_Sydney__ pinned him to the bed so that she was sitting on top looking down into his eyes.  "I'm serious Danny.  I never thought that I would ever find someone who would love me."  Sydney's voice slightly quivered with emotion, tears were beginning to form in her eyes._

_"Syd, anyone who knows you can't help falling in love with you.  I feel like the luckiest son of a bitch that it was me that you chose and not some…"  He was unable to finish as __Sydney_'s lips pressed against his.__

_"Tell me you love me."  __Sydney__ ordered._

_"I love you." Danny whispered before kissing her._

_"Always?"__Sydney__ asked._

_"Forever!"__  He vowed._

Forever had only lasted six more short months.  She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and realized that she was elbow deep in Sark's boxers.  Feeling her face heat, she withdrew her arms from the drawer and quickly shut it.  She sent a silent prayer that there were no hidden cameras in the room.  

She knew that she was a great operative but it was Marshall's gadgets that kept her one of the best.  She wished he had one of his bug killing devices.  She moved onto the next drawer and the next but found nothing remotely helpful.  

The closet was devoid of boxes of any personal affects such as pictures and only held eleven full tailor made suits with the letter S in the space where a tag should be.  She checked the bathroom last and was horrified to see her reflection.  With no make up and her hair horribly tangled, she didn't look like the competent operative that she was, instead she looked young and vulnerable.  No wonder Sark had treated her like a child, she looked like one, she thought.  She glanced with longing at the shower but she knew that she only had a few more minutes before Sark's return.   

She found a black leather toiletry bag with Colgate whitening toothpaste, a toothbrush, Old Spice deodorant, hair styling wax, and a comb in it.  She searched for a razor, something that could come in handy but she couldn't find one.  She wondered if she could throw one of the chairs in the mirror and use the shards as a weapon, or burn the toothbrush bristles together and sharpen it.  But each plan was discarded as the she heard Sark's voice in her head telling her why it wasn't a great idea.  The former being that breaking the mirror would cause too much noise and by using the shards it may end up hurting her as much as whoever came after her.  The latter plan could work if she had a lighter or matches, which she had neither of. 

Sydney decided to indulge her vanity and use the remaining minutes to wash her face and comb her hair.  After pulling her hair up in her usual ponytail she noticed that the deodorant hadn't quite made it back into the black bag.  She picked it up and popped off the cap.  Bringing it to her nose, she closed her eyes to savor the scent.  Vaughn.  It was the same brand that Vaughn wore.  She pushed back the panic and fear that washed over her as she thought about Vaughn.  He had to be alive she thought.  He just had to be.  

Then almost like magic she could almost feel his breath on her neck, the comforting feel of his presence behind her.  She was able to choke back the sob but a tear escaped her eye.  Quickly brushing it away she took a few breaths and opened her eyes.  Sark was standing behind her and she could see his reflection in the mirror.  There was intense sadness in his normally emotionally vacant eyes and his hand was hovering over her shoulder offering comfort.  

When she turned around to face him the hand and any trace of emotion was no longer there making her think that maybe it had been a trick of the light.


	4. The Reunion

Chapter Four:  Reunion

"Sydney?  Sydney? Wake up!" 

Sydney opened her eyes and saw the most beautiful thing in her life. Vaughn.  He was leaning over her, gently shaking her awake.  

"Nice to have you back Sleeping Beauty."  He said giving her a brilliant smile that would have made any male supermodels jealous even with the cuts and bruises currently marring it. 

She wanted to hug him but realized that she was immobile.  "Vaughn, why can't I move?"  She asked frustrated.

"Don't worry; give it a few more minutes."  He said sitting her upright and began briskly rubbing her arms and legs to get the circulation going.

"Where are we?"  Sydney asked wishing that she could feel his hands.  It was the longest length of time that he had touched her and she couldn't feel it.

"I was hoping that you could tell me.  What is the last thing you remember?"  Vaughn asked giving her a rueful smile. 

"I remember I was talking to Sark and then, the son of bitch shot me!"  She said angrily remembering.

"I didn't notice any gunshot wounds under your clothes.  I mean when I checked you over…for wounds, checked you over for wounds.   Not for any perverted reasons or anything."  Vaughn stammered blushing.

Sydney laughed.  Once she started, she couldn't stop.  Vaughn joined her.  It lasted for a full 5 minutes.  Sydney found herself cuddled up in Vaughn's lap with his face inches from hers.  The laughter evaporated in the sexual tension.  Her hand came up to push her hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture.

"You can move."  Vaughn said breaking out of their trance.  His voice was slightly husky.

"Yes."  Sydney said not knowing what else to say.  "Oh!"  Realizing that she was sitting on his lap she scrambled off of him.  She shakily got to her feet.

 "Sark must have shot me with a tranquilizer."  Sydney said.

"Do you remember anything else?  Do you know how we got here?"  Vaughn asked her gently.

"No, the last thing I remember is Sark."  Sydney's eyes widen as a fuzzy memory invaded her consciousness.  She touched her lip trying to decipher if it was just a hallucination or a memory.  

"What?  What is it?"  Vaughn ask concerned.  

"No, it must have been the drugs."  She said distractedly.

"What must have been the drugs?"  Vaughn repeated confused.

"Promise not to laugh?"  Sydney demanded.

"Yes"  Vaughn acquiesced.

"I think he kissed me."  Sydney said unsure if the memory was real or not.

"What?  Who kissed you?"  Vaughn asked still confused.

"Sark."  She spitted out as if it was a dirty word.

"Sark?!!  Sark kissed you? Are you sure?"  Vaughn asked incredulous.

"No, it's really fuzzy.  Maybe the drugs have a hallucinogenic compound to it.  What was the last thing you saw?"  Sydney asked Vaughn trying to change the subject.

"I saw you.  You were leaning over me and you said that Sydney will need me soon."  Vaughn said.

Sydney ignored the sexual connotations to the remark.  

"It was the drug.  The last time I saw you, it was through the glass opening in the door.  Vaughn, I…."

Vaughn squeezed her shoulder.

"It's all over Sydney, we're both alive."

"But if anything had happened to you…" She moved away.

"But nothing did.  We're both alive."  Vaughn insisted.

"How did you escape the room when it filled up with water?"  Sydney asked.

"There was a vent.  I crawled out through it but I got caught trying to look for you.  Then the next thing I remember is hearing voices and people's faces covered in surgical masks.  When I saw you I thought that maybe I'd died.  Next time I came to, I was here.  I couldn't move for a while but once I could I saw you and tried to wake you up.  Do you think that your friend Will is ok?"  Vaughn asked as bits and pieces began to fall together and he could think again.

"Yes, Sark told me that the exchange went well."  Sydney assured him.

"And you believe him?"  Vaughn asked wondering how much time Sydney and Sark spent together.

"He had no reason to lie since he knew that we were going to be let go."  Sydney said confidently.

"Sydney, what happened since your capture?"  Vaughn as an ugly suspicion came over him.

"Vaughn, my mother is still alive."  Sydney said as if just remembering.

"What?!!  How is that possible?"  Vaughn exclaimed forgetting about Sark.

"That's not all.  'The Man' is my mother."  Sydney revealed further not quite fully absorbing the information herself.

"What?!!"  Vaughn didn't think he could take anymore surprises.

"She is the head of the organization that took down the head of FTL and K-directorate."  Sydney explained dully.

"Are you sure?"  Vaughn asked gently noticing her sadness.

"Yes.  She came into the room when I was tied to a chair and she said was that she'd been waiting thirty years for this moment.  No apology, no remorse, nothing."  Sydney said sadly.

_"I've been waiting 30 years for this moment."  Irena said walking closer. "And to think that I could have prevented you from destroying the device!"  She punched __Sydney__ in the face.  "You've been a naughty little girl haven't you?  Who do you work for?"_

_"Did we matter to you at all?" __Sydney__ asked not being able to resist asking._

_Irina__ punched her again. "Who do you work for?" She repeated._

_"How could you abandon your husband and daughter?  How could you betray our country and kill the Agents who's only job was to protect it.  They had families too!  One of the men you killed was named Vaughn.  He was a good man and he had wife and son."_

_"Enough!  I do not have time for this.  You do not understand and I don't have time to explain everything to you.  Another time perhaps.  Now who do you work for?" Irina asked again._

_"Go to hell!"  __Sydney__ spat out not answering her question._

"After I told her to go to hell, I blacked out.  She must have hit me again."  Sydney said to Vaughn.

"Sydney, I'm sorry."  Vaughn said sympathetically.

"It's ok, that woman isn't my mother.  My mother is dead; she died in a car crash.  That woman is a traitor to our country."  Sydney said vehemently. 

Vaughn decided it was time to change the subject.  "So how does Sark come into the picture?"

"Vaughn, do you believe in alternate realities?"  Sydney asked.

"No, why?"  Vaughn answered wondering what she was getting at.

"What happened with Sark is straight from the twilight zone.  The short version is that he let me escape, caught me, made me breakfast, fixed me up, and then offered me a job."

"Ms. Bristow…"Sark began. 

_"Damn it, my name __Sydney__, just call me Sydney." __Sydney__ said annoyed._

_"__Sydney__, you are a very talented individual and this organization wants the best."  __Sark__ complimented._

_"If you're offering me a job, you can forget it.  It'll be snowing in hell before that happens." __Sydney__ retorted throwing the offer in his face._

_"Please, hear me out.  I know that you are a double agent for SD-6 and the CIA.  We have a common goal, to bring down SD-6.  It will take us a quarter of the time if we work together." __Sark__ said laying his cards on the table._

_"And what makes you think that the CIA will go along with this even if I do?" __Sydney__ asked suspiciously._

_"We have never acted against the CIA and we don't intend to. They do not interest us." __Sark__ said simply._

_"And I'm supposed to believe you?" __Sydney__ asked irked by __Sark__'s__ arrogance. _

_"I understand that you may need time to make a decision."  __Sark__ replied realizing that __Sydney__ was in no mood to make decisions._

_"I don't need any time at all.  You can take your offer and…"_

_There was a muffle pop as something hit __Sydney__ in the arm.  Everything was going black._

_"Until we meet again, __Sydney__."__Sark__ said catching __Sydney__ as she fell and placed a kiss on her lips._

"The last part must have been the drugs but I'm certain he offered me a job.  Why are you looking at me like that?"  Sydney asked as she notices the worry in Vaughn's eyes.

 "Sydney, if the CIA knows about the offer, they will want you to accept."  Vaughn explained.

"What are you talking about?  I thought we had a 'we don't negotiate with terrorists' rule."  Sydney said not wanting to accept such a horrible possibility. 

"No one knows anything about them.  They don't even have a name.  All we know is that they have the resources to take down the head of two powerful organizations and damage a third one all in a week."  Vaughn pointed out.

"So what are you saying?  You want me to accept it?"  Sydney asked horrified.

"It's not about what I want."  Vaughn said looking away from her.

"Then you want me to not tell the CIA about it?"  Sydney said quietly.

Their conversation was cut short as the door opened and Jack Bristow rushed in.


	5. Home Sweet Home

Chapter 5: Home Sweet Home  
  
"Sydney are you ok?" He looks like he wants to give her a hug but doesn't knowing how.  
  
"Dad!" She walks into his arms as he awkwardly pats her on the back.  
  
"We've got to get out of here."  
  
"How did you find us?"  
  
"I got a call from Sark, he told me where you were. He also said that he sent a message to the CIA and SD-6 about your capture and subsequent release. It's suppose to be a sign of good faith for future dealings. He mentioned something about how our organizations can work together to achieve our goals. What is he talking about? Never mind, you can tell me on the ride back." He ushers them out into a waiting helicopter.  
  
12 hours later.  
  
Sydney walks into her house looking like she's about to collapse. Will, his face still showing massive bruising rushes over and hugs her. He then half drags and half carries her to the couch.  
  
"Hey, Jack told me that he'd found you but that was 8 hours ago! You look like hell."  
  
"You don't look much better." Sydney retorted. "I had to check in with SD- 6 and the CIA."  
  
"Couldn't they have let you take a shower or something before interrogating you?" Will said fussing over her.  
  
"I've got to take a shower." She tried to get up but her arms and legs were like lead.  
  
"You stay right here and I'll run you a bath." He rushed out of the room.  
  
Sydney closed her eyes and tried to relax. It had been grueling and long day and she was glad to be home. Right after getting of the plane she'd been escorted to SD- 6 and interrogated. She was used to the interrogation but she couldn't help feeling betrayed by Dixon. He'd actually turned her in. She understood why he had to do it but it still hurt. Her father had told her about how he'd explained everything to Sloan.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about the missions you send Sydney on." Sloan asked Jack.  
  
"I didn't know where your loyalties laid."  
  
"Jack, now that I've been accepted into the Alliance as a partner there shouldn't be any question of loyalty."  
  
"I sent her on that last mission before I knew that. I gave her the name Freelancer and gave her a sat phone to take with her on missions after she found out I worked here. It was my way of telling her that I'll be there for her."  
  
"The other partners are pleased with The Man's offer for an active treaty with the Alliance." Sloan said satisfied with Jack's answer. He knew that the Khansinau's organization would never have offered to work with Sydney if she'd been hiding something.  
  
"I don't trust them."  
  
"Neither do I, but Sydney will be able to infiltrate their organization and destroy it from the inside."  
  
"Pick someone else. Sydney will never agree to work with them."  
  
"They had a condition and that was that they'd only work with Sydney. She will follow orders, Jack." He said the last sentence as a warning to Jack. He knew that Sydney would need some convincing and he had just given Jack an order to make her toe the line.  
  
"You know that they are up to something. Do realize the danger we're putting her in?"  
  
"She's a good agent and she's too honest to become a double agent. That's why they want her."  
  
"Hey Sydney, your bath is ready." He said picked her up.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Sydney asked surprised. "You don't have to do this."  
  
"Please, let me do this for you, it's the least I can do. You saved my life, twice."  
  
"Oh Will, you don't owe me anything. You're my friend.I" Her eyes started to mist. They reached the bathroom and he set her down on a chair that he'd placed there. He quickly took off her shoes and sock.  
  
"Now, get into that bath and I'll check in on you in a minute."  
  
"I don't think I can take a bath in a minute."  
  
"I don't want you to fall asleep. I've written too many obituaries about people drowning in baths." He leaves the room.  
  
Sydney quickly strips and gets into the bath. It felt heavenly. Will had used Francie's favorite and very expensive aromatherapy bath oil. She made a note to pick up some more the next time she was in France. The hot water and the scent relaxed her tense muscles and she drifted back to meeting at Langley.  
  
"This is Director Keller and this is Director Henderson." Devlin said gesturing to the man on his right first and then his left. "That is Agent Vaughn, Agent Jack Bristow, and Sydney Bristow."  
  
"Would you like a few minutes to wash up and change?" he asked concerned just noticing her appearance.  
  
"I came straight here from SD-6, as straight as it's possible without exposing my cover anyways. I'm being sent on a mission tomorrow. I'll like to get this finished as soon as possible." Sydney wasn't sure why she felt the need to excuse her appearance but looking around the table she realized that even Vaughn was immaculately groomed.  
  
"Our intel, has informed us that Sydney was turned into SD-6 by her partner Dixon. Is that going to pose a problem?"  
  
"That's been taken care of. I spoke to Sloan while Sydney went through interrogation."  
  
"Why was the fact that SD-6 received the same offer as we did, left out of the report?" Devlin said looking through a stack of paper? Asked Devlin looking at Jack.  
  
"Because I wanted it to be clear that Sydney's objective as a CIA agent is to bring down SD-6 not work as a triple agent. I also wanted to make sure that knowledge was as limited as possible. We still haven't found the mole."  
  
"Why wouldn't it be clear?" said Director Keller leaning forward not seeing the look that passed between Devlin and Jack.  
  
"I don't trust the new organization. I know that they are up to something. If this new alliance with the organization is broken I want to make sure that Sydney isn't held accountable."  
  
"We need to get an name for this organization, this report reads like a puzzle. I don't know which organization is what." Said Director Henderson.  
  
"NNO" Sydney and Vaughn said at the same time giving each other a smile.  
  
"NNO?"  
  
"No name organization." Said Vaughn.  
  
"Ms. Bristow, is there anything that we should know about the organi.NNO?" ask Director Keller.  
  
"Before I was captured, I was able to destroy a device. The device was similar to the one I was forced to acquire for SD-6 before I joined the CIA."  
  
"Why did you destroy it instead of bringing it to us? Asked ask Director Henderson.  
  
"The device I gave to SD-6 was small enough to carry. The new device was approximately 30 feet tall."  
  
"What does it do?"  
  
"We don't know yet."  
  
"I'm sure that now Sydney will be working for NNO, that we will soon find out."  
  
"While you were captured, did you learn anything about NNO other then it's being headed by your mother? What do they want? What are their objectives?" Devlin asked.  
  
"Everything I found I put into the report."  
  
"You mentioned a Mr. Sark. Does he have a first name?"  
  
"He just goes by Sark or Mr. Sark."  
  
"You said that you think that he has private motives in bringing down SD- 6."  
  
"I believe that he holds K-directorate, FTL, and SD-6 responsible for something that has happened to him in the past."  
  
"How did you reach this conclusion did he tell you?"  
  
"Hey Sydney, you decent?" Will's voice interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"Yeah, all covered in bubbles." She replied.  
  
Will came in with a small boom box and some cds. "I thought we could have some music." He plugged in the box and pressed the music button. 'Angel' by Sarah MacLachlan started to play.  
  
Sydney smiled. "I love that song. It's a little sad though."  
  
"Do you want me to change it?" He said reaching for the stop button.  
  
"No, I like it, it reminds me of someone."  
  
"Danny?" He sits on the side of the tub.  
  
"No, a friend. A good friend."  
  
"Sydney, I know that you spent all day talking but if you need to talk to someone, you know I'm here for you right?"  
  
"Thanks! I'll remember that. So how are you holding up?"  
  
"You probably haven't heard but I'm a drug addict."  
  
"What?!!"  
  
"I'm not really one, but your dad made some deal with Sloan. It ended up with me being caught drugged in a drug bust and then holding a press conference telling everyone that my story wasn't real and that I'm a drug addict and stuff like that."  
  
"Oh Will. I'm so sorry." She grabs his hand and squeezes it in sympathy.  
  
"I don't mind too much, my career is over but I get to live and keep my life the way it was. Oh yeah, I have to do 200 hours of community service."  
  
"It must be tough."  
  
"Hey, it's not as tough as yours."  
  
"I'm used to it though. And I have friends like you so it make is worth it."  
  
The phone rings.  
  
"I'll get it." He comes back with it and hands it to her. "I told him that you were in the bath but he said that you'd take the call."  
  
Sydney holds up the phone to her ear. "Hello?"  
  
"Are you enjoying your bath, Ms. Bristow?" The sardonic, slightly accented voice caused her to sit up quickly forgetting her situation and Will's presence. Will is turned to stone at sight of her breasts barely covered in foam. He is unable to look away as the suds slowly slip lower and lower.  
  
"How did you get this number?" Sydney didn't know what she bothered asking since it was obvious that Sark would most likely give her a cryptic answer.  
  
"You weren't answering your cell phone. I didn't know that you and Mr. Tippen had that kind of arrangement." His lightning quick change of subject threw her.  
  
"Will and I do NOT have THAT kind of arrangement! Will happens to be a good friend who is being good enough to stay with me. Why am I justifying this to you? It's none of your business." Sydney groaned inwardly, Sark done it to her again, made her forget all her training.  
  
"Is he still in the room?"  
  
"Why do you care if he's in the room? Wait a second, why are you calling me?" She leans back into the tub still not noticing Will's immobilization.  
  
"I just wanted toast our new partnership. If you will be kind enough to ask your friend to answer the door.." Just as he finished the sentence the doorbell rang.  
  
"Um, I'll get that." Will said leaving the room.  
  
"Oh, I don't have anything to toast you with, I guess your call was wasted." She said sarcastically,"  
  
"Ye of little faith. Hasn't anyone told you that patience is a virtue?"  
  
"Sark, enough of the mind games, what do you want?"  
  
"I've already told you, enjoy the wine and I'll see you first thing in the morning."  
  
"First thing in the morning?" She could hear the phone disconnect in her ear before she could finish her sentence. She stared at the phone wondering if the satisfaction of chucking it against the wall would be worth getting a new phone. She was saved from making a decision by Will's entrance into the bathroom.  
  
"Hey some person left this on the doorstep." He held up a half a bottle of wine and a wineglass. What kind of person sends someone a half a bottle of wine of.Chartruse!" Will excitement at the bottle of wine is evident. "Jesus, do you know how much this wine costs? No wonder they only sent you a half a bottle!"  
  
Sydney didn't want to explain to Will about Sark so she played the only card she knew would work. "Hey, I'm a little tired and I have to get up early in the morning. Why don't you enjoy the wine for me, OK?"  
  
"Are you sure? Thanks! I've always wanted to taste one of these." He moved to leave the room and then stopped as something registered in his brain. "The guy that called, it was that scary N'Sync guy that kidnapped me right?"  
  
Sydney smiled at the description. "Yeah, his name is Sark."  
  
"Do you want me to hang up the next time he calls?"  
  
"No, he'll just find some other way to get a hold of me."  
  
"Goodnight Sydney."  
  
"Goodnight Will."  
  
When Sydney went to bed that night fell asleep to the sound of Stark's voice in her head saying "Goodnight Ms. Bristow, I'll see you in the morning!" 


	6. Paolo Mission Briefing

Chapter Six: The Paolo Mission Briefing  
  
"We received Intel from our new allies that this man, Marco Paolo." Sloan clicks a button on the remote in his hand. A picture of a good looking, Italian man in his late 30's appears on the viewing screen. The sound of the name causes Marshall to chuckle. When everyone stares at him, he tries to explain his amusement.  
  
"You know, Marco Paolo, Marco.. Polo. you say Marco and I say polo, the game. I used to play it a lot with my friends when I was younger, like younger then I'm now, a lot younger.." He fades off as he notices Sloan's glare.  
  
"This man is the founder of a secret society called the Bacchanal. This male only society is comprised of the highest government officials and scions of business. They meet one night every 6 months and the location is kept secret until 48 hours before the meeting. The member's anonymity is suppose to be sacred but somehow someone is able to blackmail the members with incriminating tapes. We think that Paolo is responsible. We believe that the blackmail material is being generated and stored in an office at the new meeting site. You will rendezvous with Mr. Sark at a location that he has yet to disclose." It was obvious that Sloan didn't like being kept out of the loop.  
  
"I don't understand how we can work with a known criminal organization." Dixon said. "How do we know that after Sydney does what he wants, he won't just take the tapes and keep blackmailing the members?"  
  
"We don't. That's why once you're in the room you will use a device that will completely erase anything on the tapes. Marshall. Keep it quick." Sloan warned.  
  
Marshall starts to talk quickly without breathing. "This looks like a pretty armband. Shiny yes? It can even turn into four pretty armbands, like this.oh wait. I can't take them apart because once I do; it'll destroy all electrical equipment by acting like a giant magnet. But what you need to do is place or throw each of the armbands into a corner of the room and wait 1 minute. No sound and undetectable." Finishing, he takes a big breath and weakly sits down.  
  
"It's going to be difficult for me to drop those without Sark noticing. And how am I going to be able to get into a men only club? Do we have any contingency plans?" Sydney asked. She could think on her feet but she didn't like going into a situation where she didn't have everything planned to the tiniest detail."  
  
The phone rings and Sloan picks it up. "Bring it in." He says abruptly after a few seconds and hangs up. "A package has arrived from Mr. Sark."  
  
Once the package was brought in Sydney opened it. Inside she found a passport, first class plane tickets to Milan, Italy, and a small disc. She handed the disc to Marshall who checked it for viruses before playing the contents on the viewer.  
  
"Good morning Ms. Bristow. I will be waiting for your arrival in Milan. Once the plane lands, a man holding a sign with the name Sarah Gavin will approach you and bring you to me. Sloan, I would recommend not following or putting any tracking device on her, it will be a waste of time. Ms. Bristow, I hope you shaved this morning. Ciao!"  
  
"Marshall, play it again, I think I recognize the background of where Sark recorded that message." Sydney said.  
  
After a few minutes the screen is still blank and Marshall is typing furiously onto a keyboard.  
  
"Marshall?" Sydney inquired.  
  
"Wait a second, this is absolutely amazing. The original message is gone, it just disappeared. But there is another code imbedded onto the CD. I'm trying to decrypt it."  
  
"Is it a virus?" Sloan asked.  
  
"It's nothing I've seen before. It gives another meaning to the line "this tape will self destruct in 30 seconds. Oh I got it!" Marshall presses a key with a grand gesture and a digital image of Sark comes on the viewer.  
  
"Really Ms. Bristow, shouldn't you be getting to the airport?" The image said.  
  
"It's amazing! It's absolutely the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Genius." Marshall raved.  
  
"What is so amazing?" Sydney asked puzzled.  
  
"He can update you later on, Sark is right, you need to get to the airport." Sloan said ending the meeting. 


	7. Secondary Objectives

Chapter Seven: Secondary Objectives  
  
"Hello Ms. Gavin, it looks like you've been upgraded to our premiere service. Come right this way." The attendant at the check in ushered her into a large private room where a few other men and women were sitting on comfortable couches and chairs as a cocktail waitress served them drinks.  
  
"Is there somewhere I can make a private phone call?" Sydney asked.  
  
"As a premiere customer we do provide offices for your business needs. Right this way." She followed a carpeted path along the edge of the room and to the back of the room. Holding the door open for Sydney the attendant smiled and said, "Please let me know if there is anything else you need."  
  
Sydney entered the room and closed the door behind her. Because of the closed door she didn't see a women leave the office next to her and follow the attendant that had showed her into the office. A woman who could easily be mistaken for Sydney.  
  
"Dad? Vaughn? How did you know I'd be here?" Sydney was surprised to see two people already in the office.  
  
"The CIA received a message from Sark this morning letting us know you'd be here at this time." Said Jack.  
  
"Sloan wants me to destroy all the tapes in his office using this device." Sydney pulls out the titanium armband. "What else is there for me to do?"  
  
"There will be another CIA operative that will be there. The operative has been working undercover as head of Paolo's security. He will hand you a briefcase with the information you will need to know to locate and get into the office. He said that at midnight, a payoff will take place so most of the security will be at the payoff location. Paolo will be apprehended after the payoff and he must be taken alive. There is a secondary location where the master copies of the blackmail tapes are being held and only Paolo has access to it. We think that Sark is after Paolo and is using you as the decoy. We want you to destroy the tapes in his office and then assist the operatives in apprehending Paolo. He will be able to identify you with this."  
  
Vaughn hands her a perfume bottle wondering if he would be able to give her perfume as an intimate gift rather then part of a mission. As their hands touched briefly he knew that she'd had a similar thought as she slightly flushed and dimples appeared on her cheeks.  
  
"Spray this on your neck. The operative will have a ring on that will change color when it touches the perfume on your neck. We have the feed from all the cameras set up in the building and will be able to assist you. One last thing, make sure that you don't turn this on until you inside the building." Vaughn hands her an elaborate earing that extends over her ear.  
  
"It's beautiful." Sydney praised taking the earing.  
  
"You turn it on by twisting the backing until it locks into place."  
  
"Sydney, don't underestimate Sark. He's dangerous and ruthless, he wont hesitate to kill you to get what he wants." Jack warned breaking the mood.  
  
There was a knock at the door. The same attendant who had shown her to the office came in.  
  
"The plane will be boarding in 2 minutes. Come this way please."  
  
Syndey followed the attendant out of the office and out of the VIP room. Noticing that they were going to a different gate then the one she had checked into, she looked around for Dixon. He was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Excuse me, why are we going to a different gate then the one I checked into?"  
  
"Oh the plane at that gate isn't the one that you'll be taking, in fact it has already left. You will be flying in a leer jet flown by one of our best pilots."  
  
"But my ticket says that." She glances down at her ticket and realizes that the attendant had swiched her ticket when she'd checked in.  
  
"As I said before, you received an upgrade."  
  
As she boarded the plane, Sydney couldn't help feeling a rush of adrenaline. She was going into a situation blind and she hadn't felt like this since her earlier missions.  
  
"Sark may be dangerous Dad but so am I!" 


	8. Illusions

Chapter Eight: She was going to kill Sark, Sidney thought. The plane ride had been very smooth and she'd taken the time to get some extra sleep. 30 minutes before landing she'd been given a present nicely wrapped in hand made wrapping paper and tied with a beautiful silk bow. She wished that instead of opening it, she'd thrown it out of the plane.  
  
"Ms. Gavin, the plane will be landing in 30 minutes. Mr. Sark send this with the message to open right away." The flight attendant left, giving Sydney privacy.  
  
  
  
Sydney carefully opened the box and peered inside half expecting a bomb. Instead there was a large black domino with a silver phoenix on it, a silk mask, long black gloves and very revealing black silk lingerie that revealed more then it covered. At the bottom of the box was a whip with a note attached to it.  
  
Wear only what's in the box if you want to get in. Hope you had a pleasant trip. Sark P.S. I would recommend changing on the plane rather then in the car. I may join you in the car.  
  
Sydney was still fuming an hour later. It had been dark when she'd exited the plane and into a waiting limo and Sark was still nowhere in sight. She wanted to rail into him for making her wear such a ridiculous outfit. The domino covered every inch of skin but she still felt vulnerable and she didn't like it one bit. At least she had a whip. Something that she knew she'd love to use on him once he showed his pretty face.  
  
As the limo drove up to the castle Sydney couldn't help but gasp in wonderment. It was magical, straight out of her daydreams of Camelot when she was a child. The night was lit up with thousands of lights and under them a line of limos all waited to get to the gate. Outside the limos there were jugglers, entertainers, and singers. The magic was broken when the door opened and Sark slipped inside. He had on a black domino with the hood covering his head.  
  
"It's a pity that the beauty of this place is but an illusion." Sark said. There were a few moments of silence.  
  
"Why?" Sydney asked. Her anger had fled the moment she'd seen the castle.  
  
"Paolo has something I want." Sark replied. "So why me?"  
  
"Because you're the best." At her surprise, he continues. "I don't trust anyone else."  
  
"You expect me to believe that you trust me?"  
  
"Both the CIA and SD-6 already have men on the inside. I wanted to know who they were."  
  
"I'm not going to tell you." At his smirk, she realized that he already knew. Being with Sark was like being in a giant chess game and he was always three moves ahead of her. Her brain worked furiously to figure out why he would need the blackmail disks but not use them without breaking the alliance with the CIA and SD-6. It came to her as they pulled up to the front of the castle.  
  
"You need the tapes for insurance against both the CIA and SD-6, and you need me to destroy the copies so that only you would have the master tapes. You aren't after Paolo since you already know where the master copies are."  
  
"Bravo, Ms. Bristow. Shall we?" The door opens and he exits. He holds out a hand to help her out of the car. She had to keep the domino closed with one hand and she wouldn't be able to get out of the car gracefully without his help so she accepted his hand. "Stay close." Sark and Sydney moved toward the entrance. Before going inside three men stopped them from entering.  
  
Sark pulls out a small metallic card and one of the men scan it. The man nods to the other two and allows him to pass. Sydney is stopped as she tries to follow him. One of the men reached out to touch Sidney but before he does. Sark grabs his wrists.  
  
"She's mine and I don't share." He said warningly. The man backs off quickly and Sark releases him.  
  
"All slaves are inspected by Mr. Smith before they are let in." The man said rubbing his wrist. He steps away and speaks into his earpiece.  
  
After a few minutes another man exits the building. He grabs her elbow and pulls her into the building through another entrance. He pushes her into a room and closes the door. He pushes her hood off her head and runs his knuckles along her neck. She doesn't flinch. He looks at his hand and smiles. He pushes some thing on the desk and then turns around.  
  
"Agent Bristow. My name is Agent Smith. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've taken care of the cameras and audio in this room but we only have five minutes."  
  
Sydney twists the backing on her earing. "Hello this is Freelancer."  
  
"We're here Sydney." Vaughn's voice said in her ear.  
  
"I've made contact with Agent Smith. Vaughn, Sark isn't after Paolo, he already knows where the master copies are and I think that they're somewhere in this building. Where is the Paolo's office?" Sydney asked Agent Smith.  
  
"I don't know where the master copies are kept and Paolo moved the location where copies are kept this afternoon when someone tried to break into his office."  
  
"Sark will know where the new location is. Where can I find him?" Sydney said.  
  
"He's waiting for you in one of the suites. Sark asked that you be directed into his suite after the inspection."  
  
"Vaughn, I can't follow Sark and destroy the tapes at the same time."  
  
"If you tag him with a tracker, we'll be able to follow him while you destroy the tapes and then we'll let you know where he is so that you can get the master copies from him."  
  
"You're in luck, I happen to have a tracker with me. It's state of the art, it can stick to any surface once you take the backing off. It's sends out a distinct frequency which will be easy to track. Good luck Agent Bristow." 


	9. Water Games

Chapter Nine: Water Games  
  
Sydney walked into the dimly lit room. There are candles everywhere and a path of rose petals leading into the bedroom. It was a sharp contrast to the debauchery that was occurring outside the suite. The music from the ballet, Count of Monte Cristo, was playing softly and she could hear the muffled roaring of the jets of a hot tub.  
  
Entering the bedroom, Sydney is shocked to see Sark sitting inside the hot tub with his arms on the edge of the tub, head tilted back with his eyes closed.  
  
"I've been waiting for you." Sark said keeping his eyes closed. There was something different about him. Maybe it was the sight of his bare chest that made him seem less dangerous. For the first time since she'd known him, she saw him as a flesh and blood man, not a cold blooded killing machine. "Come join me." When she doesn't answer he opens his eyes and straightened, untilting his head. "You have approximately ten minutes to kill." He rose up from the water like Triton from the ocean, water flowing down his perfectly muscled body. The water came up just below his waist and Sydney couldn't help wondering if he was as naked below as he was up top. The sound of Vaughn's voice snapped her out of her daze. "What the hell is he doing?" Vaughn's voice was saying. Sydney turned the earring off.  
  
Sark held out his hand daring her to come in. "Come to me."  
  
She didn't resist the dare. She walked up the steps to the hot tub and undid the tie of her domino. She felt a surge of sexual power as the domino slid from her body and fell into a pool at her feet. She stepped out of her shoes and took Sark's hand as she stepped into the tub. He didn't let go once she was in the water. Instead he kept pulling her to him as he sat back down forcing her to onto his lap. Neither of them spoke.  
  
Sark had one hand supporting Sydney's back and the other on the edge of the tub. He moved the hand supporting her up her back to her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. She turned her head making the kiss land on her jaw. He kissed her again, this time landing on her cheek. The third kiss connected with her lips. It was gentle and light. He deepened the kiss as she grabbed the back of his head. When they came up for air he moan a name.  
  
"Sarah."  
  
Sydney pushed away from him and slapped him. During the kiss he had removed her mask and her new found confidence and she was vunerable once more. The Sark she knew was back. His eyes were unreadable and he had that secretive smile on his smug face. She had been a fool to let her guard down and he'd been able to get to her with his sick mind games. 'Who the hell is Sarah?' she thought.  
  
"Where are the tapes?" Sydney asked  
  
"That's a good look for you." Sark said leaning back.  
  
Sydney look down and noticed that the wet lingerie wasn't doing much to cover her. She got out of the tub and used her domino to dry off.  
  
"There should be a change of clothes in the bathroom."  
  
Sydney quickly changed into the tight black turtleneck and black pants found in the bathroom. When she came out, Sark was out of the hot tub and into dry clothes.  
  
"Where are the tapes?" Sydney asked a second time.  
  
"They're in the room at the end of the hall. There will be one guard outside the door and two inside. On the bed you'll find two keys, one will be to unlock the first door and the second one will allow you access into the inner room. Inside the whip handle you'll find a glowstick. You have 5 minutes before the lights come back on." Sark said glancing at his watch. "This evening was a pleasure, tell the boys that I hope they enjoyed the show." As left the room the lights, the music, and the jets in the tub turned off.  
  
Sydney turned on the earring. "Vaughn, what's going on?" Sydney gathered the items on the bed retrieved the glowstick from the whip handle. She broke the seal on it and it lighted the room.  
  
"I could ask the same thing! What were you doing in the hot tub?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"I had to put the tracking device on him without him noticing. Are you tracking him?"  
  
"Yes, we're tracking him. But we aren't getting any visual from the cameras. Do you know where the tapes are?"  
  
"I'm on my way there." She leaves the room and heads toward the room at the end of the hall. There was a man in a domino standing outside it. She ducks as he makes a grab for her and uses his momentum to throw him on the ground. She punched him three times in the face before he's knocked unconscious. She takes the gun on his belt. She uses the first key to get in. There were two men sitting inside eyes glued to a monitor.  
  
"It's not time to switch yet Nicco!" Said one of the men not looking at her. She uses the gun to knock him unconscious but the second man jumps out of the way before she can hit him too. As he pulls out a gun, she shoots him in the leg and then gives him a roundhouse kick to his face, knocking him unconscious.  
  
She opens the second door with the key and takes the armband off her arm and separates them into four parts. She places them on each corner of the room. "Vaughn, let me know when a minute is up starting now."  
  
She walks in to the outer room where the monitor is. "There is a monitor in here that is using power from a different source then the rest of the castle. It must be linked to cameras on a different power source as well."  
  
"I'm pulling up the castle schematics."  
  
"Oh my god!"  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm such an idiot. Sark told me that both SD-6 and the CIA have men on the inside. I have to warn Smith that SD-6 is after Paolo."  
  
"The power is back on. I have visual. Sydney, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"  
  
"Oh my god!" 


	10. The Double Cross

Chapter Ten: The Double Cross  
  
The monitor showed two people standing opposite each other at a table and a third standing in front of the door. Agent Smith was standing at the door and Paolo and Khasinau opposite each other.  
  
"That's Khasinau! What is he doing there?" Asked Vaughn shocked.  
  
"Khasinau must be here for the payoff." Vaughn can you get me audio?" asked Sydney as she left the room.  
  
"You're in a dangerous business Mr. Paolo." Khasinau was saying.  
  
"Dangerous but very fruitful, now show me the money, as the Americans say." Said Paolo chuckling at his joke.  
  
Khasinau puts a titanium briefcase on the table and slide it over to Paolo. Paolo opens it and flips through the bills inside. He licks his fingers and flips through another bundle of bills. After picking up and flipping through another bundle he looks up angry.  
  
"Is this a joke?" He said knocking the briefcase on the floor. He pulls out a gun and aims it at Khasinau.  
  
"You and I both know that you had no intention of selling me those tapes. And I know your superiors want me alive so you won't shoot me." Khasinau said calmly as if speaking to a wayward child.  
  
"They want you alive but they never said." Paolo clutches his chest and falls to the floor and starts to convulse.  
  
Khasinau watches as Agent Smith runs over to Paolo to see if he can help. When he reached him Paolo is dead. "Money can get so dirty, you never know what you'll catch." Khasinau said shrugging his shoulders.  
  
Agent Smith standing up, pulls out his gun and orders, "Don't move you're under arrest."  
  
Khasinau holds up his hands as Agent Smith walks toward him. As Smith gets behind him to handcuffs him, Khasinau kneels to one knee and throws Smith over his shoulder. He retrieves the gun from Smith and points it at him. "You Americans agents are all the same." He said shooting him.  
  
Sydney is running down the halls to reach the room where Agent Smith is located. "Vaughn, who just got shot?"  
  
"Smith is down, Sydney." Vaughn said quietly.  
  
"Please tell me he isn't dead?" Sydney felt bile build up in her throat. She didn't want another Agent to die on one of her mission.  
  
"I don't know, the table is in the way and I no longer have audio." His helplessness and frustration was evident.  
  
When Sydney reaches the room she finds Smith on the ground binding his leg. "The son of a bitch shot me!" Cussed Smith angrily.  
  
"Sydney, you have to find Sark." Vaughn urged.  
  
"Will you be OK?" She asked Smith as she backed out the door.  
  
"I'll be fine, go get the bastards."  
  
When Sydney reached the room, the door was wide open and Sark wasn't there.  
  
"Vaughn, he's not here." She notices Sark's black domino on the ground with three disks and a note.  
  
The disks are a gift to Devlin. Make sure that it gets to Devlin without anyone viewing the contents. Sark P.S. I enjoyed our kiss. However, I would recommend not placing that type of tracker behind a person's ear. They tend to heat up a little.  
  
When Sydney hears a noise behind her she turns around and points a gun at the intruder.  
  
"It's just me." Smith said leaning on a black cane. "These sickos use just about everything to get off."  
  
"Vaughn, Sark's gone he ditched the tracker."  
  
"Damn it! Sydney, Dixon is at the front of the castle trying to get in." Said Vaughn.  
  
"Sark left three disks with instructions to get them to Devlin without tampering. I'm giving them to Smith. I'll take care of Dixon. I'll see you back home." She turned to Smith handing him her earring. "It was a pleasure working with you."  
  
"Anytime, Bristow, anytime" Smith said smiling. 


	11. The Price of Failure

Chapter Eleven: The Price of Failure  
  
"So you're telling me that it wasn't you I was following all day?" Dixon whispered.  
  
"Nope." Sydney replies sleepily.  
  
"So all those fetish clubs I went to wasn't associated with the Bacchanal?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"And while I was being hit on by transsexuals you were inside destroying the tapes."  
  
"Yes." Sydney yawned.  
  
"And Sark staged this whole thing to get me out of the way so that you can destroy the copies and he'd gets the master tapes."  
  
"Uh huh." She muttered turning sideways so that her back was too him.  
  
"Ok, I'll let you sleep." Dixon finally said.  
  
Though Sydney had her eyes closed, she wasn't sleepy at all. There were a myriad of questions and thoughts running through her head. She should be used to the surprises and revelations that came at the daily basis but today had been just crazy. The only explanation came down to the fact that the SD-6 agent at the party must have been Paolo and it was the Alliance that had been behind the entire blackmailing scheme all along. It had been a trap for Khasinau and she had been used as a decoy to throw Sark off.  
  
Sark had said that the tapes were going to be used for insurance. Insurance for what?  
  
And who the hell was Sarah? She couldn't help thinking about the kiss. His lips had been so soft and gentle. His body perfectly sculpted with only one flaw, a small tattoo of a bird on his chest, right over where his heart would be. She never would have thought Sark to be a tattoo kind of guy. She hadn't expected him to be a good kisser either, so good that she'd almost forgotten to plant the tracker, almost.  
  
Sark's had said something about the boys enjoying the show. Had there been a camera in the room? Was that how Vaughn knew that there had been a hot tub? Sydney groaned. The CIA had a video of her in wet lingerie.  
  
At the same time Sydney was entered her house to be greeted by Will, the members of the Alliance sat down to an emergency meeting. Each of the members except Sloan had a small disk in front of them. Their attention was focused on a viewer.  
  
"Good evening gentlemen. I'm sure you're disappointed that our first collaborative effort didn't go as smoothly as planned. No matter. Each of you should have received a package from me by now. I'm sure that the only thing on your mind is what my intention with the tapes I acquired in Italy. I want to make it clear to you that I have no intention of using them against you. In fact I have them stored in various banks around the world, nice and safe. The only one thing that could expose those tapes to the media is in the event where I die or disappear. But I'm sure that you wouldn't allow such a thing to happen. That is all gentlemen. I'm looking forward to working with each and every one of you. I'll keep in touch."  
  
"How can this happen?" An Asian gentleman said as the video ended and the lights came on.  
  
"Do we have anything to counteract this mess?" Another man said.  
  
"The only thing we know about him is his interest in Sydney Bristow." Said Sloan. "We can use her for bait and trap Sark."  
  
"No!" Said more then half the gentlemen.  
  
"We can't risk having those tapes exposed. We can work with him for now and find out what he wants. Meanwhile, I vote that no action will be taken against Sark. I have a feeling that he can be a powerful ally." Said the gentleman sitting at the end of the table.  
  
The voting ended with only one vote for action against Sark.  
  
In a dark room somewhere far away from the meeting, a figure sat down at a video screen and watched an unedited movie. The Moonlight Sonata was softly playing along with the movie. The screen showed a women in a black domino walking toward a hot tub. As she got into the hot tub with her defiant eyes flashing the man gets up from his chair and walks toward the screen. As the mask falls from her face he pauses the movie. He reaches out and touches the screen where her eyes, now glazed with passion is held frozen.  
  
"Sarah." He whispers reverently as he falls to his knees and grieves without tears. 


	12. Sarah

Chapter Twelve: Sarah  
  
"I can't believe I agreed to this." Said Sydney sighing as she spotted another man giving Will a thumbs up. Will and Sydney had just finished checking into the hotel where Will's 11th year high school reunion was being held. They had spent a half and hour trying to sort out the room reservations.  
  
"Hey you promised in college that we would be each other's dates to our high school reunion if we were both single and I'm holding you to it." Said Will smiling and waving to someone behind her.  
  
"But you didn't have to go to mine!" Argued Sydney.  
  
"Hey, I would have gone with you but you missed it and that's no one's fault but your own." Will said pulling her along.  
  
"Hey, I was in Calcutta stealing a nuclear bomb." She hissed.  
  
Will stopped and pushed the UP elevator button. "Will you stop complaining? Just pretend that you're on a mission. I'm your partner and we're going to seek and destroy the evil Roy Conrad, a man who made my high school years a living hell. Then we're going to find the beautiful Natalie Green the love of my life, ok my fantasy life. Now smile and look pretty!"  
  
Sydney plastered a made by Matel smile on her face and entered the elevator. As the elevators closed she did a double check of man in a leather jacket removing his sunglasses. Sark! It couldn't be thought Sydney.  
  
"What is it?" Asked Will noticing the shock on Sydney's face.  
  
"I thought I saw someone I knew."  
  
"Hey, I read this study about how everyone in the world can be linked together by six people. So if that person wasn't the person you know, he probably knew him. Six people removed of course though."  
  
"You mean like the movie?"  
  
"What movie?"  
  
"Six Degrees of Separation, it had Will Smith in it."  
  
"What? What does a Will Smith movie have anything to do with.um Sydney?" Will stopped as he realized that Sydney wasn't listening to him. She was staring at the man who had just entered the elevator.  
  
Vaughn and Sydney stared at each other both surprised to see each other there.  
  
"Hi, I'm Will." When neither spoke, Will introduced himself to Vaughn holding out his hand.  
  
"Will Tippin?" Vaughn looked at him in surprise and shook his hand.  
  
"How did you know my last name?" Will asked suspiciously momentarily forgetting that his face had been plastered on the news only a few weeks ago.  
  
"Oh, Will, this is Michael Vaughn, my handler at the CIA. Michael, this is as you already know my friend Will." Sydney introduced.  
  
Will smiled as the confusion was cleared up. "Oh, you're Vaughn. I thought you'd be older."  
  
Vaughn smiled saying, "It's great to meet finally meet you, I've heard so much about you." The elevator pinged and they all got off. They walked down the hall together not knowing what to say.  
  
"This is our room," said Will breaking the tension. He opened the door and went in.  
  
"Let me help you with that." Vaughn took Sydney's bag and entered the room hoping that his suspicion about the relationship between the two of them was unfounded. She almost bumped into him as he stopped abruptly. "There's only one bed."  
  
"What?!!" Exclaimed Sydney peering around Vaughn.  
  
Vaughn moved forward and set down the bag at the foot of the bed. "Oh, I didn't know that you were, um, I'm going to go."  
  
"No wait, this isn't what it looks like." Said Sydney trying to explain the situation. She followed him out into the hallway.  
  
"You don't owe me any explanations." He said unable to look at her.  
  
"No I don't, but I want to."  
  
"Look, Sydney, it's none of my business and I really don't want to hear it." He wasn't sure why he was angry. It wasn't as if he and Sydney had a relationship or ever could. He should be happy for her, but he wasn't. He felt his stomach knot with jealousy. He didn't want to hear how happy she was with Will.  
  
"Oh!" Sydney drew back, hurt. She masked her feelings quickly and become professional. "What are you doing here Vaughn? Does your presence here have anything to do with Sark?"  
  
"Sark? No, why would you think that?" Vaughn asked alarmed.  
  
"I thought I saw him in the lobby. Why are you here?" She changed the subject abruptly not wanting to talk about Sark.  
  
"It's not a good idea to discuss this out here, maybe I can meet you later?"  
  
"Why don't you just come in here and talk now? She's going to be busy later." Will interrupted from the doorway.  
  
They all entered the room and sat down, Sydney and Vaughn at a small table and Will on the bed. Sydney pulled out a small device and fiddled with a knob and put it on the table. Vaughn was looking at Will pointedly, asking him to leave.  
  
"Come on man, I know I'm not CIA but I can help. What's that?" Will asked pointing to the device on the table.  
  
"It's a little something that makes sure that anything we say can't be heard outside of this room or recorded. Continue." She said looking at Vaughn.  
  
Vaughn jerks his head toward Will.  
  
"Is it classified?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then he stays."  
  
"I'm here because a couple days ago, Weiss's cousin, Violet Mathews e- mailed him her wedding photos that had been taken 8 years ago."  
  
"How's he doing?"  
  
"He still in a lot of pain and he can't talk. He gets frustrated but he's going to be ok."  
  
Sydney moved her hand to squeeze Vaughn's hand in comfort but she against it.  
  
"So what does this Weiss guy and wedding pictures have to do with you being here?" Asked Will.  
  
Vaughn pulls out a photo and hands them to Sydney. She looks at it and gasps.  
  
Will gets up from the bed and looks over Sydney's shoulder at the picture. The picture contained the bride and groom and the wedding party. The women next to the bride was holding a baby and laughing up at a man behind her.  
  
"That's you!" Exclaimed Will leaning closer to the photo.  
  
"Is the photo doctored? It's can't be me, I would remember being at a wedding."  
  
"No, it's not you. The women's name was Sarah Radcliff-King."  
  
"Was?"  
  
"She was killed two months after that picture was taken. I'm here to get more information about her since all records of her and her family have disappeared, birth certificate, D.M.V., school, it's like she never existed except in that photo. I'm here to meet Violet and get more information about Sarah. Violet is here for her 9th year reunion." He said the last sentence confused since he'd never heard of a 9th year reunion.  
  
"The school wasn't that big so they do reunions for 4 classes at a time." Explained Sydney reading Vaughn's confusion.  
  
"We're here for my 11th year reunion." Said Will "I vaguely remember Violet, she was a reporter for the school newspaper."  
  
"Good then you can help me get information. Violet wasn't willing to tell me much but she was willing to meet me for 15 minutes. Maybe she'll talk to you since she knows you." 


	13. Drunk

Chapter 13: Drunk  
  
"Will?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"That Sh.Sarah, she looked really ha. 'appy didn't she?" Sydney asked referring to the wedding picture.  
  
Sydney and Will were lying on top of the bed next to each other, staring at the ceiling. They had just gotten back from the reunion dinner and both were exhausted and Sydney was drunk.  
  
"Yeah, she looked happy. You used to look like that with Dan. Man, could he make you laugh. I want to make you laugh like that."  
  
"You make me laugh. Sh..see?" She starts laughing drunkenly.  
  
"Do I? Ever since I found out what you do and who you are, I've been noticing things. Maybe I didn't want to see it, but I see now. I wanted to talk about it before but I kinda chickened out. I know you're drunk but I guess this is a good a time as any."  
  
"Whadda ya talkin' about Willis? Hee hee, get it? Willis, hee hee."  
  
"Since Dan's death, you've shut down. When Francie and I confronted you about it, you changed and went into 'happy Sydney mode' and we bought it. Now I know better. You're afraid."  
  
"Af.afraid? I'm no' of afraid of anyshing!"  
  
"You blame yourself for Dan's death and you think that if you're close to Francie and I then we're going to die too. We aren't going to die."  
  
"Yew donno know that. Sh..Sark's always two sh..steps ahead of me. He knows where I live, he knows ho..how much you and Fran.Francie mean ta me. I ca.can't lose anosher per.person in my life. I jus' can't."  
  
"So what is up with this Sark guy? What does he want?" He held her hand to comfort her.  
  
"Dunno. That's why heesh so dan..dangerous."  
  
"Do you think he has a thing for you?"  
  
"Whaaa?!!"  
  
"He calls you almost every other day."  
  
"He ca..calls to play sh..sick min' games wishh me."  
  
"He sends you gifts."  
  
"The wine doesn' coun'. And he never send me anything else."  
  
"It was a Chartruse! It was a whopper of a gift."  
  
"If he likes me so mush...much why'd he call me Shh.Sarah when I kished 'im?"  
  
"What? You kissed him?"  
  
"In It.italy, I was tryin' to pl.plant a bug on 'im. He hash nice lipsh."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"I dun wanna ta..talk about Sh.Sark. I'd be cra.crazy to be remo..remote..ly att.attracted to 'em."  
  
"You play with your hair whenever you talk about him."  
  
"I dunna'! Leesh talk about some'in elsh.."  
  
"How come you never told me about you and Vaughn."  
  
"There's no me an Va...vaughn. 'E 'ha..hates me. Woodn' let me ex.expl..explain."  
  
"Sydney, there was definite electricity between the two of you. Feel my hair, it's still standing straight up." He grabs her hand and put on his head.  
  
"Shop bein' a dork!" She pulls her hand away and punches him in the shoulder  
  
"Ow! Did you just call me a dork?"  
  
"Yesh, I did." They both laugh.  
  
"God, I've never seen you so drunk. I didn't even see you drink that much."  
  
They're conversation is interrupted by the ringing of Sydney's cell. Sydney, grabs for the phone and knocks it to the ground instead. She falls off the bed to find it. Will gets off the bed and finds it for her and hands it to her.  
  
"Good guys or bad guys?"  
  
"Dunno. 'ello?" She answers the phone.  
  
"Meet me in the by indoor pool in 15 minutes. Don't make me wait." Sark hung up before Sydney could say anything.  
  
"Well, 'ello to you too Mr. Shh..sark! I'm doin' wunderful, shanks fur askin'. 'ello? Ish anyone there?" Sydney gets up and starts weaving around the room.  
  
"Where you going?" Asked Will.  
  
"I'm off ta meet Mr. Ga...gorgeous."  
  
"You can't go like this. You're drunk." He takes her arm before she bumps into something.  
  
"I godda go! Heesh a bad man, dun' wanna ma..make 'im mad."  
  
"Fine I'm going with you! Where do you keep your gun?"  
  
"Didn' bring a g..gun."  
  
"Damn it, do you know where I can get Vaughn?"  
  
"No t..time. Lesh go!" 


	14. Dazed and Confused

Chapter 14: Dazed and Confused  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?' The voice lashed out at Will. All Will could do was freeze and think 'please don't kill me.' "Well, Mr. Tippen?"  
  
"Um I brought Sydney." Will finally said stepping to the side allowing Sark to view Sydney who was currently lying on a pool lounger singing. When she sees Sark she stops singing.  
  
"'ello shexy! You ha.ave per..pre.pretty eyesh."  
  
Sark brushes past Will and kneels to Sydney's side. He smells her breath and then opens her eyes wider with his fingers. He then takes her pulse. When he's finished he stands up and pins Will against the wall with his forearm to Will's throat. "What did you put into her drink?"  
  
"Me? What? I didn't put anything in her drink!" Will choked out.  
  
Sark lets him go as he sees Sydney get up from the lounger and weave toward to pool. He grabs her before she falls in. She looks up at him smiling and touches his lip.  
  
"Dida know that your lipsh do thish?" She forces his lips to smile with her forefinger and thumb. He moves her hand away from his mouth.  
  
"Do you think we should take her to the hospital?" Asked Will.  
  
"Don't be an idiot. We can't take her to a hospital without bringing SD-6 into this. How long has she been like this?  
  
"30 minutes?"  
  
"Find out exactly what was put into her drink. Call me on her cell when you find out." Sark ordered as he picked Sydney up into his arms after unsuccessfully getting her to move.  
  
"I'm not letting you leave with her." Will replied with false bravado stepping in front of Sark.  
  
"Though I applaud your bravery Mr. Tippin, I don't have the time for it. You can assist Ms. Bristow by doing as I ask."  
  
"Put her down Sark!" Vaughn ordered at gunpoint. He had just entered the indoor pool deck and was blocking the exit.  
  
"And if I don't? Are you really going to shoot me Mr. Vaughn?" He takes a step.  
  
"Don't test me Sark, I would love an excuse to put a bullet into you." Vaughn had a grim smile on his face.  
  
"Let's review our options shall we? You can shoot me while I hold Ms. Bristow in the chance that you're a good shot and she won't be hit. And since Ms. Bristow must be carried out of here one of us must do it. If you would like to take her, I'd be happy to hold your gun. Not an agreeable option? I didn't think so. Now put away the gun or shoot me." Sark brushed past Will and walked toward the exit and Vaughn. Vaughn lowered his gun and followed Sark out of the room.  
  
"Hey wait a second!" Will rushed after them.  
  
"Do you know what was put into her drink?" Sark was asking Vaughn as Will caught up to them.  
  
"It's a drug called Venerex. It's a cross between Rohypnol and Pentothol Sodium, one of the reunion members decided that it was payback time and spiked the dinner punch."  
  
Sydney had her arms around Sark's neck. And she was fidgeting and playing with his hair.  
  
"Pentothol Sodium and Rohypnol as in truth serum and roofies?" Asked Will shocked.  
  
"Row, row row your bo..boat, gennly, down the shreem." Sydney sang.  
  
"Why weren't you affected?" Vaughn asked Will.  
  
"I didn't drink the punch, I can't stand the stuff. I always get that red line around my mouth."  
  
"I'm drunk! I drank punch!" Said Sydney to no one in particular. "I wan'ed to punch you bu' I couldn'. You 'ave nice abs." Sydney put a hand on Sark's chest. "You 'ave a ha..heart! I thought you're a mash..machine. Kill, kill, kill."  
  
"It has some kind of adrenaline inducers in it. Her heart is beating abnormally fast and her blood pressure is rising. I need the ingredients in Venerex, find it for me." He ignored the anger that came into Vaughn's eyes at his order.  
  
Vaughn makes the call on his cell. "Hello, this is agent Vaughn, I need you to get me the ingredients to the drug Venerex asap, let me know if there is any known counteragents." He kept the phone to his ear and shot Sark an 'anything else' look. "Just so we understand each other, I'm not going to leave you alone with her for even a second."  
  
Sark just gives Vaughn one of his infamous smirks. "Yes, I'm here. What's the use of a counteragent that you have to take before taking the drug? Nevermind, the ingredients? Just a second, I don't have a pen."  
  
"Just hold the phone up to my ear, I'll remember it." Said Sark and Vaughn complied grudgingly. "Uh uh, yes, a scopolamine base." He nods to signal Vaughn that he's finished. When they reach the lobby they see a dozen people lying on the ground with some medics attending them. Sark hands Sydney to Vaughn and swipes a medic bag.  
  
"What are you doing?" Vaughn asked. "Those people need that medicine."  
  
"And so does Sydney. If it'll make you feel better, Mr. Tippin can brings down what I don't need."  
  
"Hello? I'm here, you don't have to talk about me as if I'm not here." Will interrupted angry at himself and feeling guilty about bringing Sydney to his reunion.  
  
"Ooooh! You 'ave the cutesh di..dimple on your shin." Sydney said patting Vaughn's face. "Can I kish you?"  
  
"Fine! Let's go." Vaughn conceded walking more quickly toward the elevators. He turned his head to avoid the kiss which landed on his ear.  
  
They took the elevator up to Sark's penthouse suite listening to Sidney sing La Vie en Rouge in French.  
  
"Aren't you guys trained to fight off this stuff so that you don't say things when you're captured?" Will asked as Sark got to work finding a counteragent to the drug and Vaughn laid Sydney down on the bed."  
  
"Normally yes, but I've never heard about Venerex before today." Said Vaughn frustrated.  
  
"She's trained to hide anything classified by singing or reciting poems. The other stuff is things she wants to say or is thinking but never allowed herself to say." Sark informed them causing both Will and Vaughn to think that Venerex was a drug that Sark must have used it on someone before.  
  
"So if I ask her the access code to enter SD-6." Will said before Vaughn could stop him.  
  
"1, 2 buckle my shoe, three four.I'm out the door, " Sydney replied automatically and without her slur. She then blinks a couple of times and says, "Well 'ello Franshi! I didn' know you're gonna be 'er."  
  
"She's gone into stage two. She's starting to hallucinate. Keep her calm, I don't want her to go into cardiac arrest." Sark was scribbling formulas down on a piece of paper.  
  
"The lash time I 'ah shex? Months, not shince No..noah. We 'ah shex and then 'e d..died. 'veryone I lo..love diesh. I wan' shex. You know, wa I shink? I shink that I shoul' shleep wish Shark!" There was utter silence in the room. "Then 'e'll d.die an' everyone will be shafe." She finished and Will and Vaughn started breathing again.  
  
"Maybe we should get her to talk about something else?" Will whispered to Vaughn.  
  
Vaughn went to the bed and held Sydney's hand, which was hot. He felt her forehead and it was very hot. "Sark, she's burning up!"  
  
"Take her into the shower and start with warm water and then gradually get it colder. Will, get some ice and fill up the bathtub. Make sure that she stay's awake or we wont be able to tell if the counteragent will work or not."  
  
Vaughn took Sydney into the bathroom and turned the shower on. He waited until it was warm and then got into it pulling her in with him. She was murmuring under her breath and he was afraid she was losing consciousness.  
  
"Hey Sydney, it's me Michael."  
  
"Mom? Mommy?" She looked at him fearfully seeing not him but her mother.  
  
"No, It's me Vaughn."  
  
"Vaughn? Why'sh she 'ate mmme?" The water was running down her face and body, making her wet clothes cling to her body. She held onto him as if he was a lifeline, and rested her head on his chest. Vaughn realized that she wasn't shaking with cold but from sobs. "I tr..tried to be go.good."  
  
"You are very good Sydney." Vaughn said holding her tighter. She was till burning up. He turned the water colder.  
  
"Why'n' she lo..love me?"  
  
"You listen to me Sydney. Your mother doesn't love you because she incapable of loving anyone. It's not your fault. You are the most caring and wonderful person I know. You don't need your mother to love you. Your father loves you, your friends love you, I.I love you Sydney."  
  
"Such a beautiful declaration, it's a pity that she wont remember it when this is over." Sark interrupted sardonically. "I need you to put her down so I can give her the counteragent. It'll be a lot faster if I inject it into her blood system." Once Sydney was on the floor Sark injects her with the counteragent.  
  
"How do you know it's the right amount?" Asked Vaughn worried.  
  
"When it works."  
  
"If it doesn't?"  
  
"She'll die."  
  
"I don't want to die." Said Sydney without slurring. Sark took her pulse.  
  
"It worked. Now we have to get her fever down." Sark said picking her up and putting her in a tub filled with ice and cold water.  
  
Will came in and added another few buckets of ice. "Is that enough?"  
  
"Watch Ms. Bristow, Mr. Vaughn and I will be in the next room."  
  
Once they were in the other room Sark turned to Vaughn. "This is formula for the counteragent. I'm sure that they'll be needing it downstairs." He hands him a piece of paper.  
  
"What are the other two syringes for?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"You'd better hurry if you don't want anyone to die." Sark said over his shoulder as he pockets the two syringes and exits the room.  
  
"You arrogant son of a bitch." Vaughn muttered under his breath and picked up the phone. 


	15. Out of the Frying Pan

Chapter 15: Out of the Frying Pan  
  
Sydney's fever had been brought down during the night and she'd slept peacefully with Vaughn and Will standing vigil over her. When she woke up in the morning, just as Sark had predicted, she didn't remember anything that had happened the previous night. Despite Vaughn's attempts to keep her in bed for a complete recovery, Sydney got out of bed.  
  
"I'm not going to stay in bed all day. I want to find out about Sarah and what happened to her." Sydney said firmly.  
  
"Sydney, you almost died last night!" Will implored her.  
  
"Will, I almost die ever time I go on a mission." Sydney shot back.  
  
"I promise to let you know everything we find out. Just get back into bed." Vaughn bribed hoping that it would work. "Just look at you, you can barely walk."  
  
"Maybe the Mathew's will take pity on my condition and will be more willing to talk." Sydney's legs gave out as she reached the couch and table in the center of the next room. She sat down quickly and she out a frustrated grunt. "Fine, I won't go to the meeting. Only because I can't stand being carried around like a child."  
  
Will and Vaughn gave each other a look wondering if they should tell her about her being carried by three different people last night.  
  
"What? I saw that look you gave each other. Never mind. God I'm hungry, where's the food?" She said impatiently crossing her arms. After a few minutes she smiled. "I haven't thanked you for your shirt and boxers Vaughn. They're fabulous. You're going to have to tell me where you shop." The white collared dress shirt had a faint smell of old spice to it and the silk boxers felt sinfully luxurious.  
  
"Talking about clothes, why don't I get your suitcase?" Will said retreating from the room as quickly as possible. He wasn't going to be the one to tell her who the clothes really belonged to.  
  
"What really happened last night? Why can't I remember anything?" Sydney asked giving Vaughn on of her 'please don't lie to me' looks.  
  
"I already explained it to you. Frank Crowley, a reunion member spiked the punch with a drug called Venerex." Vaughn replied evasively.  
  
"There's something you and Will aren't telling me and I want to know the truth. Did I say or do something last night?" She crossed her legs Indian style and hugged a pillow as if to shield herself from the knowledge to come.  
  
"No, there's nothing you said or did that you need to be ashamed of. Besides, you were under the influence of a drug." Vaughn said reassuringly.  
  
Sydney let out a sigh of relief before attacking again. "Then what aren't you telling me? For instance what is all this? I know both Will and your writing so I know neither of you wrote it." She held up Sark's scribblings from the coffee table.  
  
"Good morning Ms. Bristow! I'm glad to see you're up and well." Sark said rolling in Sydney's breakfast. He took a bite of her omelet and before placing it in front of her. He also stole half of her muffin before sprawling on a lounge chair with an innocent face waiting for Sydney's reaction. He didn't have to wait long.  
  
"You! What are you doing here? Get out!" She exploded once she got over her shock of seeing Sark.  
  
"What ingratitude to the person who saved your life last night." Sark said taking a bite of the muffin."  
  
"Vaughn, what the hell is he talking about?" She quashed the urge to throw her pillow at Sark to wipe the smirk off his smug face.  
  
"He's the one who came up with the counteragent." Vaughn said shooting Sark a dark look.  
  
"Oh, I thought it was you!" Sydney said quietly looking at Vaughn.  
  
"Oh, he helped, he's good at following orders; probably why the boys at the Agency like him so much." Sark said magnanimously. "You really should eat. You're looking a little pale."  
  
"You've made me lose my appetite. I'll eat when you leave." Sydney made a quick prayer so that her stomach wouldn't betray her.  
  
"Suite yourself." Sark finished off the last of the muffin.  
  
"What do you want Sark?" Vaughn asked coldly.  
  
"Sarah Radcliff-King." Sark became all business; his face reverted back to usual bland and emotionless one and his posture straightened and ready for action. The room became tense with energy.  
  
"How did you find out about her?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"You need to cease your investigation of her."  
  
"No!" Vaughn said mutinously. He wasn't going to take another order from Sark.  
  
"But you haven't heard what I'm willing to give you in exchange." Sark said cryptically.  
  
"I don't want anything from you."  
  
"Not even your life?"  
  
"Are you threatening me?" He took a step toward Vaughn.  
  
"I never threaten Mr. Vaughn, I make promises." Sark stood up, daring Vaughn to take another step closer.  
  
"Stop it both of you, this isn't getting us anywhere!" Sydney broke in getting to her feet shakily. "Sark, how is Vaughn's life in danger?"  
  
"A few weeks ago, he came into contact or rather swam in contaminated water." He sat down smoothly. Sydney followed suit.  
  
"So what? I've already been checked out and I have a clean bill of health." Vaughn stayed standing.  
  
"Well, you should get to an doctor as soon as possible then. Make sure that they test your T cells." He refused to give in to Vaughn's power game and looked at Sydney instead.  
  
"Are you telling me that he has aids?" Sydney asked shocked.  
  
"Not aids, but something that works a little faster and isn't as detectable or transmittable."  
  
"And you have the cure?" Sydney asked  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
"Do you or don't you?" Sydney insisted  
  
"I know where you can get it."  
  
"How can we guarantee that you're not lying?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"How can you guarantee that you'll stop the investigation after I give you the location of the cure?"  
  
"Fair enough." Sydney acquiesced.  
  
"No Sydney, I'm not making a deal with him. I'm not going to stop the investigation. If I need a cure we'll find another way to find one, without Sark's help."  
  
"Think hard before you make your decision Mr. Vaughn, you may not have enough time to get the cure after you start showing symptoms." He gets up and walks to the door. Before exiting he turns to give Sydney his parting shot. "Keep the clothes, I can always get more."  
  
Once he'd gone, Sydney gave into her urge and she threw her pillow in the direction of the door. "Arrghhh!" 


	16. And Into the Fire

Chapter 16: And Into the Fire  
  
"You wont believe what I just found out." Will said excitedly rushing into the room.  
  
"Where's my suitcase?" Asked Sydney.  
  
"I've got something better."  
  
"Yeah, but you're not the one wearing Sark's clothes."  
  
"Oh good, I was hoping he'd tell you."  
  
"You knew that Sark was going to come back here and you didn't warn me?  
  
"Sark? No, I thought Vaughn told you. Where is he?"  
  
"I'm sure he's off killing someone or making their life a living hell."  
  
"I didn't know Vaughn did stuff like that." Said Will surprised.  
  
"What? No I was talking about Sark, Vaughn will be back in a minute, he's calling a doctor."  
  
"What's wrong? Are you feeling worse? I knew you should have stayed in bed." Will came over and tried to feel Sydney's forehead but she managed to avoid his hand.  
  
"No, I'm fine, the doctor is for him. Sark paid us a little visit while you were gone and told us that Vaughn is going to get sick because of contaminated water."  
  
Will put the water he was drinking down and looked at it suspiciously.  
  
"He came into contact with it in Taipi." Sydney said smiling. "So what's your news?"  
  
"Let's wait until Vaughn get's back. This stuff is big."  
  
"What's big?" Vaughn asked as entering the room.  
  
"Have a seat. So I went get Sydney's suitcase but I lost the key to the room so I went down to the lobby. Well I overheard these guys in the front talking about two people who died last night from the drug and how the jerk Frank Crowley shot himself after finding out he caused people to die. I checked with the medics if the two people that had died were either of the Mathews. They weren't. Here it gets interesting, though their names were on the list of people that needed to get the counteragent, they weren't checked as having received it. I told the receptionist that I was a doctor and that I needed to see the Mathews right away. They asked me if I knew the name and number of the doctor that had seen the Mathews last night since one of the receptionist thought he was hot. And get this, when I asked them what the person looked like I think they were described Sark. When I went to their room, they were there."  
  
"Damn it you should have waited for me!" Vaughn said angrily surprising both Will and Sydney. Vaughn rarely lost his temper.  
  
"Hey, I expected them to be dead when I got there. Well anyways Violet remembered me and we started talking. I showed her a picture of Sydney and she almost passed out. I didn't know how else to ask her about Sarah. I told her about Sydney, well the g rated version anyways."  
  
"Did she tell you anything about Sarah?" Sydney asked burning with curiosity.  
  
"The Mathews want to meet you."  
  
"I can't meet them, not until we know that Vaughn is ok." Sydney said.  
  
"What?" Will exclaimed surprised wondering what he'd missed. Less then an hour ago she'd been so anxious to meet them.  
  
"We'll explain it to you later, tell us what you found out about Sarah." Vaughn ordered testily.  
  
"Yeah right, her husband was some sort of genius who graduated first in his class at Harvard Med at the age of 15. He also graduated with PhD's in Psychology and Bio Sciences, and some other obscure studies. After two years residency at John Hopkins he went to work for.."  
  
"We don't care about her husband, tell us about Sarah." Vaughn requested impatiently. He got up and started pacing.  
  
"If you want to know how Sarah died, you have to know about the husband. Her husband." He paused for effect. "Worked for the FBI."  
  
"What?" Both Sydney and Vaughn exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah, he worked with Mr. Mathews. Though it's Violet who knew Sarah and her husband growing up. Apparently he was profiling a case involving a string of murders when his wife and child was kidnapped and his mother was killed."  
  
"My god, the poor guy. What happened to him?" Sydney asked.  
  
"He went crazy, he kept saying that his wife and child were kidnapped by a secret group calling themselves the Seekers. Supposedly they were a group that wanted to prevent something called the Prophecy from happening and that the women who died were being killed because they fit some kind of criteria of the prophecy."  
  
Vaughn and Sydney looked at each other to wondering if the there was a correlation between Rimbaldi's Prophecy and Sarah. "So were the Seekers responsible?"  
  
"Well, the FBI shrinks said that the conspiracy was fabricated by the guy's need to make his wife's kidnapping more then it was. He also wanted to believe that she was still alive. Apparently all the women that were killed all fit Sarah's exact description."  
  
"Did they find the killer?" Sydney was starting to feel sick.  
  
"No because after Sarah's death, the killings stopped."  
  
"So what happened to her husband?"  
  
"When no one at the FBI would believe him, he went to the CIA. They thought he was a nutcase and he said he'd find her himself. They found ashes of a body next to Sarah and they assume the killer had killed both of them a couple of days later."  
  
"What was his name?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Sebastian."  
  
"Sebastian?" Vaughn grimaced.  
  
"Violet said that he hated his first name so he went by his middle name, Alexander. Sebastian Alexander Radcliff-King. What a mouthful, I bet he got beat up a lot as a kid."  
  
"I like it." Sydney said sadly, wondering about what kind of life Sarah and Sebastian 'Alexander' had before everything went to hell. "Wait a second, what happened to their baby?"  
  
"Dunno, I didn't think to ask. They're waiting to meet you, you can asked them yourself."  
  
"It doesn't make any sense." Vaughn broke in frustrated.  
  
"What doesn't?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Why would Sark give the counteragent to the Mathews when he doesn't want us to find out about the Radcliff-Kings? Why wouldn't he just let them die?" Vaughn stopped pacing.  
  
"What makes you think it was Sark that gave them the counteragent?" Sydney asked confused.  
  
"Sark, left here with two syringes of counteragent last night. The only logical explanation is that he gave them to the Mathews. But what doesn't make sense is why." Vaughn was getting increasingly agitated which worried Sydney.  
  
"Are you feeling ok Vaughn?" Sydney asked  
  
"I'm fine! Let's focus on Sark's link to the Radcliff-Kings and the Mathews." Vaughn's cell phone rang and he picked it up.  
  
"We already knew that. What do you mean it was a suicide? What body? Who is it? Is it related to what happened last night? Find keep me updated." Vaughn turned to Sydney. "It looks like Mr. Sark got a little sloppy last night. Frank Crowly didn't commit suicide, he was murdered."  
  
"How do you know it was Sark? It could have been any number of the reunion members." Sydney asked.  
  
"I don't know how many psychopathic killers there are running around but if I had to bet, my money's on Sark." Vaughn said stubbornly. "You know what else? I finally figure out why Sark is so interested in you."  
  
"You're wrong Vaughn, it couldn't have been him."  
  
Vaughn voice the suspicion that Sydney had thought briefly and had half discarded. "I think that it was Sark that killed Sarah and Alex. Why else would he know about her? Why is he so obsessed with you? It's the only thing that makes sense."  
  
"Sark's not obsessed with me. I don't know what the link between him and Sarah was but I don't think he killed her. You're forgetting the Prophecy and the Seekers Vaughn."  
  
"You mean that there really is a group called the Seekers?" Will asked shocked.  
  
"They were the ranting of a desperate man whose wife had been kidnapped. Why are you defending Sark?" Vaughn asked suspiciously. He backhanded a vase onto the floor.  
  
"I'm not, I'm just saying that you're jumping to conclusions. It's not like you Vaughn. Let's go see a doctor." Sydney was worried, she wondered if this anger was a symptom of the illness that Sark had told them about.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with me damn it. Why do you believe everything Sark tells you? He's a cold-blooded killer Sydney. He did it! I know he did." Vaughn was losing control quickly. His face was flushed and his hands were shaking. Sydney went to him but when she reached him he flung her away like a ragged doll. She flew headfirst into the table breaking it.  
  
"Vaughn listen to me, we need to get you to a doctor." Sydney picked herself up with the help of Will. He helped her to the couch. She swiped her nose and was shocked to find that her nose was bleeding.  
  
Vaughn took a step toward her and then his face became angry again. "You're trying to trick me, you're all against me." He ran out the door.  
  
"Vaugh!" She tried to run toward the door but her legs were too weak. "Will, you have to follow him. He's sick!"  
  
Will ran out the door. 


	17. A New Threat

Chapter 17: A New Threat  
  
"Dad? Have you hear anything new?" Sydney asked as Jack walked into the restaurant and sat down.  
  
"Nothing new, they're doing everything they can." He patted her hand awkwardly. Vaughn wasn't on his favorites list but he'd proven himself by helping Sydney. He felt obligated to Vaughn and he'd decided to pull in some favors to find him. "Will told me that you're not taking care of yourself."  
  
"I'm doing fine. He's been gone for 37 hours." Sydney ran a hand through her hair distractedly.  
  
"Sydney, WHEN we find Vaughn, we're going to need you in top form if we're going to get the cure. That means you need to eat and get some sleep."  
  
"Alright Dad." She smiled at him. It was nice to have a parent. She thought the parental concern was unnecessary but it made her happy to see him acting like one.  
  
"I ran a search of Sarah and Sebastian Radcliff-King in both the CIA and the SD-6 databases and I didn't find anything. If Sebastian did ask for the CIA's help 8 years ago, there would be some kind of record. If I can get an exact day of when Sebastian went to the CIA, I might be able to verify who met with him. "  
  
"The Mathews have disappeared. The last time anyone talked to them was when they checked out of the hotel. Did you find out anything about the Seekers? Were they real?"  
  
"Sydney, give me some more time." He looked away from her.  
  
"Dad, you know something, tell me! What do you know about the Seekers?" She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.  
  
"The information I have can't be verified." He leaned back into his chair, pulling away from her.  
  
"Dad, please, tell me." The determination in her eyes told him that like a pit bull, she wouldn't let it go. If he didn't tell her, she'd find someone who would and expose herself to untold danger.  
  
"Sydney, I need you to disassociate yourself from this investigation. I mean completely." There was urgency in Jack's voice. Sydney knew something was going on and she didn't want to be kept out of the loop.  
  
"But Dad!"  
  
"I mean it Sydney. I will do everything I can to find out what happened to Sarah and why. I'll even let you know what I find, if you promise that you'll stop your investigation."  
  
"Do I have a choice?" She said resigning.  
  
"I mean it Sydney, if I find out that you haven't.." Jack warned.  
  
"Ok, Dad. I'll stop investigating. What did you find out?" She didn't let her dad finish his threat. She knew that he'd destroy any information he found so well that she'd never be able to find it.  
  
"According to my sources there was secret a group that called themselves the Seekers. They were founded in 1921 after a Rembaldi notebook was found in Waterbury, Connecticut. The notebook is purported to hold information about the Prophecy."  
  
"It's an extension of page 47 in the notebook we found. The one with the picture of a women who looked just like me." Sydney said dazed.  
  
"We don't know for sure until we get that notebook. It just might be a coincidence." He tried to reassure her.  
  
"Are they going to come after me?" She felt a chill go through her.  
  
"They disbanded 8 years ago after the death of Sarah." Jack said quickly seeing her shiver.  
  
"So I'm safe?" She looked at him hopefully.  
  
"Yes!" Jack looked into his daughter's eyes and lied. He didn't tell her about the body of a woman found in New Jersey, a women that fit Sydney's description. She was never going to find out because he was going to find and destroy them before they came within 10 yards of her.  
  
Jack's cell rang.  
  
"Yes? You have? I'll come right away. I'll let her know." Jack hung up the phone and looked at his daughter. "They found Vaughn, he's being detained in a mental hospital."  
  
"I'm coming with you." Sydney said standing up.  
  
"No, I'll bring him back myself. You're going to eat and then go home and sleep. No arguments!" He left the restaurant giving the maitre de instructions to not let her leave until she ate her dinner. The maitre de approached the table and took Sydney's order himself.  
  
"And would you like a glass of wine with your dinner?" The maitre de asked.  
  
"She'll have a bottle of Chateau Petruse '47." Sark said sitting down.  
  
"I'm sorry sir but we don't have that particular bottle available. We do have a bottle of the Cheval Blanc or Lafleur."  
  
"He'll have neither since he wont be staying. I'll have a glass of water."  
  
The maitre de looked expectantly at Sark. He wasn't about to lose a huge gratuity.  
  
"Lafleur will suffice. I'll have the filet mignon with truffles." Sark dismissed him. He then gave Sydney his full attention. "Are you ready to talk?"  
  
"Where can I get the cure?" Sydney asked getting to the point.  
  
"So you've found the missing Mr. Vaughn."  
  
"Yes, about the deal." She looked into his eyes, hoping to find some kind of weakness or emotion. She didn't find anything.  
  
"In spite of my urgings you haven't discontinued the investigation of Sarah. I'm afraid you no longer have anything I want." The maitre de appeared and opened the bottle of wine handing the cork to Sark who smelled it before setting it down. He then whirled the recently poured wine in his glass, inhaling it's scent before taking a sip. He smiled and nodded prompting the maitre de to pouring him a full glass. Sydney covered her glass before the maitre de could pour hers. As the maitre de left, a waiter appeared silently and set a organic green salad with a raspberry vinaigrette in front of Sark and Sydney and then he too disappeared.  
  
"But I do have something you want Sark." She pushed her salad away.  
  
"Really?" Sark picked up his knife and fork and took a bite of the salad. He motioned for her to eat.  
  
"You're obviously trying to hide any information about Sarah from not only me but anyone that wants to know. Would you like to let me in on why?" She picked at the salad hoping that Sark couldn't see through her poker face.  
  
"No, but please continue." He took a sip of wine.  
  
"Working for SD-6 and the CIA I'll be able to find information about her that you won't have access to." She forced down a bite of salad.  
  
"And this should interest me how?" He took another bite of salad and dabbed his mouth with his napkin.  
  
"Whatever I find, I can destroy." She played her card hoping that he would take the bait.  
  
Sark pushed his plate away and leaned sideways into his chair. His knuckles covered his bottom lip and he looked at her thoughtfully. "Interesting. It would be a worthy bargaining chip. Unfortunately for you that is under the assumption there is something to find. I don't think there is." He gestured to the maitre de.  
  
"I'll bring you something tomorrow." Sydney bluffed knowing full well that there wasn't anything.  
  
"You've intrigued me Ms. Bristow. I'll give you a call as to the meeting time and location." He turned to the maitre de handing him a white card with 'Sark' and a phone number engraved on it. "Call the number and they'll give you instructions regarding the bill." Sark left before the maitre de could ask if anything was wrong with the dinner.  
  
After assuring the maitre de that everything was fine, Sydney racked her brain for some something that Sark would want. She unconsciously grabbed Sark's glass of wine and sipped it. It was incredibly good and it relaxed her. It helped her get into into Sark's mind. There was only one thing that would convince Sark to help her. She smiled as a plan formulated in her head. Sark wasn't going to know what hit him. 


	18. Incentive

Chapter 18: Incentive  
  
"Please, don't keep me in suspense, what do you have for me?" Sark said sitting down.  
  
"What? No hello Ms. Bristow? No verbal sparring to get the meeting started? I'm disappointed Mr. Sark." Sydney slowly got up from her chair and walked to a liquor bar behind her. She had on a short gray skirt that showed off her stocking covered legs and each step gave Sark a peek of her lacy garters.  
  
"My apologies, Ms. Bristow, I thought that time was of the essence since Mr. Vaughn has gone into the second stage of the illness. After entering stage four, the cure would be useless." He watched her as she turned around and leaned back on the bar using her elbows to hold her up. The action caused her blouse to open, revealing a lacy black bra that accentuated her cleavage.  
  
"We still have at least 48 hours. Glass of wine?" She asked innocently pulling her hair free from the ponytail and shaking her head so that her hair fell loosely around her face.  
  
"No, I don't drink alcohol in the mornings." He leaned back into his chair wondering what she was up to.  
  
"Not even for a special occasion?" She asked giving him a sexy pout. She poured a glass of wine and walked toward him.  
  
"Not even to celebrate the death of my enemies." He said curtly tensing as she neared. Once she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him from behind dangling the glass temptingly in front of him with one hand.  
  
"There is more to life then celebrating the death of your enemies." She purred throatily into his ear. She unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt with her free hand, exposing his neck.  
  
He took the glass of wine from her fingers and set it down on the table. He then grabbed her wrist and whipped her around forcing her to sit on his lap. She resisted on instinct but then forced herself to relaxed. He held up the glass of wine to her lips. "Drink it!" He growled into her ear, tipping the glass up so that what she didn't drink flowed down her chin and neck. She drank, she had no choice. When there was nothing left in the glass Sark turned her around and examined her searchingly as if expecting some kind of effect from the wine. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked at him.  
  
"Do you like what you see?" She teased.  
  
"What are you up to?" Sark asked narrowing his eyes. He'd expected the wine to be drugged and it wasn't. He didn't like not being in control of the situation.  
  
"Just a little bit of play. When was the last time you were with a women?" She offered him her neck, which was still wet with wine.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" He asked as he caught a droplet of wine on her neck with his tongue. He then fastened his lips on her neck, sucking lightly. A groan escaped her lips. He held her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "Is he really worth all this?" He whispered as he pulled her in for a kiss.  
  
"I'd give him my life." She responded right before his lips covered hers. He didn't notice as Sydney reached back and took small syringe from the heel of her shoe. "Checkmate!" She said as she jabbed the tiny syringe into his neck. He pushed her away from him and pulled out the tiny syringe as it hung obscenely from his neck. But the damage was done. He looked at it in shock. Anger quickly took over. "What is it?" He asked coldly, the question whipping her causing her to flinch. He stood up and walked toward her menacingly.  
  
"Incentive." She took a step back. Her scenario hadn't included Sark getting so angry.  
  
"Incentive?" He repeated still stalking of her.  
  
"In getting the cure for Vaughn." She stood her ground remembering what she was here for. The knowledge gave her the strength to face Sark.  
  
"What makes you think that I'd help you now?" He stopped in front of her, his expression unreadable. She eyed the syringe that was still in his hand.  
  
"Maybe because you're now infected with the same disease." She closed her eyes as the hand with the needle came toward her face. She felt the back of is hand brush her cheek and her eyes shot open in surprise.  
  
Sark laughed, the effect was chilling.  
  
"I'm glad that you're finding the situation humorous." Sydney felt a stab of worry. What if Sark had lied about a cure? "There is a cure?"  
  
"No need to worry Ms. Bristow, there's a cure. Unfortunately, it's in North Korea. I can get us in but I can't guarantee that we'll both get out."  
  
"I'll find a way." Sydney said fiercely.  
  
Five hours later, Sydney and Sark skydived from a stealth plane into the outskirts of Sunch on, North Korea. Sark hadn't spoken to her other then to tell her that if she wanted the cure she should follow every command he gave her without question. The silent treatment had given Sydney plenty of time to think.  
  
It took the Koreans less then a minute to find them and surround them after they hit the ground. Sark and Sydney held up their hands in surrender.  
  
"Indentify yourself!" The leader of the group ordered in Korean, pointing his gun at Sark's throat.  
  
"The Ying and Yang symbolizes the balance in each of us." Sark replied in Korean.  
  
The leader gave a comical face and spoke in flawless English. "You're Korean is atrocious Sark!" He lowered his gun and shook Sark's hand. "And you're slipping, you're 15 minutes late!"  
  
"I was detained." Sark replied in English jerking his head in Sydney's direction.  
  
The Korean smiled and gave a wolf whistle. "Sark always told me that he worked alone. If I had a partner like you I wouldn't hide it, I'd would be telling every Tom, Dick, or Harry, I'd died and gone to heaven. My Korean name is Ingku but my American name is Taylor. You can call me anything you want." He held out his hand and smiled roguishly.  
  
"Bristow, Sydney Bristow." She held out hers and she smiled as he kissed it instead of shaking it.  
  
"Enough with the introductions. What's the status?" Sark asked pulling out a floor plan from his pack.  
  
"They're keeping Yon Hee here in this lab. My intel is that there are no longer guards outside the door 24/7. Either she's dead or they have her on a leash. It's going to be like breaking into a candy store after Halloween. The majority of soldiers have gone to P'Yong Yang and won't be back for another 12 hours. We've counted 20 men manning the base." He paused as his two way beeped.  
  
"Alpha, this is Charlie, the base has been secured." The voice on the two said.  
  
"Damn, you made me miss all the action." Complained Taylor. "Ok, let's go in."  
  
The base was eerily silent as they weaved through the maze of corridors to the center of the base. When they reached the center they found an iron door.  
  
"Can we wield through?" Sark asked searching around the door to see if there was a keypad or lock.  
  
"I have a feeling that it's going to be thick." Taylor pounded on the door with his butt of his Daewoo K2 and yelled "Open Seseme!" The door groaned and then started to open. He jumped back in surprise. "Holy shit!"  
  
Once the door had opened enough Sydney, Taylor, and Sark slipped under it. The room was in fact a huge lab with rows of vials of different chemicals lined up and carefully labeled. They silently slipped into the room. In the back they found a beautiful Korean women sleeping on a cot. Sark covered her mouth before waking her. "Is there anyone else in the room?" He whispered. She responded by throwing her arms around him.  
  
"Sark! I knew you'd come." Yon Hee said kissing him. "Oh my god, we have to get out of here." She jumped off the bed and pulled him toward the exit. "The door only stays open for 2 minutes and wont open again for 12 hours." She explained.  
  
"Do you have an antidote for C-352 already made?" He asked urgently.  
  
"Only one dose, it's next to my computer. It'll only work for cases up to stage three. We've got to go!" She said futilely pulling him toward the door. "I can start from scratch and find it again, it'll take a little more time."  
  
"Sydney, we have to go." Sark yelled to Sydney who was standing at the computer with the vial in her hand.  
  
"I have to get her research!" She said tapping the return key.  
  
Sark pushed Yon Hee toward Taylor. "Get her out of here!" He ordered Taylor. Taylor also received the silent message as well. If Sark didn't make it out, Taylor had to leave without Sark and Sydney.  
  
He grabbed Sydney and tried to force her away from the computer. "I'm not leaving without the research." Sark backed off as her fist tightened around the vial.  
  
"Give me the antidote Sydney!" Sark ordered. Sydney ignored him and stared at the computer.  
  
The computer finally downloaded all the information and she grabbed the disk and ran toward the exit. The door shut with a thump as they reached it. 


	19. Trapped

Chapter 19: Trapped  
  
"Shit!" Sark yelled hitting the door.  
  
It was the first time that Sydney had heard him cuss and it shocked her. She watched in surprise as he swept the contents of a nearby counter onto the ground. He shook his head and looked at the mess as if confused as to how it happened. He turned to Sydney.  
  
"Give me the antidote Sydney." His held out his hand expectantly. There was no trace of the earlier rage on his face, just his normally impassive one.  
  
"This, is for Vaughn." Sydney said holding up the sealed vial.  
  
Sark made a grabbed for it but Sydney twisted away so that all he grabbed was air. He quickly used his momentum and elbow to send a blow to her stomach causing her arms to be thrust forward. He grabbed her wrist with one hand forcing her hand to open in reflex and used his other hand to take the vial. Sydney quickly recovered and pivoted into his body using the momentum to elbow him in the neck and take the vial from him.  
  
There was a slight pause as Sark stooped over to recover from the blow. He dropped low to the ground and sent out a sweeping kick that knocked Sydney's feet out from under her. The vial flew up into the air and Sark caught it in the air. Sydney kicked his arm sending the vial back into the air. Flipping to her feet she caught the vial as Sark's hand closed over hers, firmly but not too tight. Unable to pull her hand or the vial away, she tried to punch him with her other hand. He grabbed it before it did could connect.  
  
She did the only thing left for her to do, she tried to kick him, two kicks with her right leg, and one with her left. He countered them all with his legs in a fluid dance. They swung each other around to the tune of a song only they could hear. He turned her around in a swing move holding her in his arm in a locked embrace. She kicked up over her head and connected with his head. The force knocked both of them back flinging the vial into the air. When they hit the ground she quickly rolled and held out her hand, catching the vial before it could shatter on the ground.  
  
Sark knew that by continuing the fight, there was a good chance that neither of them would end up with the antidote. So he tried to reason with her. "Sydney, by the time we get out of here, Vaughn will most likely have entered stage four. It'll be useless to him." Sark realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere with her so he told her the full truth. "I gave Taylor instructions to take Yon Hee straight to Vaughn. She can recreate the antidote."  
  
"Without her notes? Why should I believe you?" The slight hope was quickly extinguished by suspicion.  
  
"I've never lied to you." There were no visible signs that he was lying but Sydney had a feeling that Sark could convince the anyone to his way of thinking.  
  
"Your life wasn't on the line before now. If I hand you the antidote why would you help Vaughn? I have nothing to bargain with. Here's Yon Hee's research." She tossed the disk to him. "You have at least three weeks before you show symptoms. We'll be out of here by then." She said reassuring herself that Vaughn was the only one that mattered and that it was all for the best.  
  
"Sydney, did you infect me with the virus you took from Vaughn?" He spoke calmly.  
  
"Yes." She answered wondering what he was getting at.  
  
"Normally, the virus would go through a dormant stage but since you injected me with the active virus, I went straight to stage one." He explained.  
  
"Then you'd better get started on a new batch of antidote." Sydney said coldly not believing him. She reasoned that their fight was why Sark's face was a little flushed.  
  
He walked toward her reaching for the gun strapped to his leg. She went into a defensive stance realizing too late that she'd left her gun next to the computer. Instead of shooting her he handed her his weapon. "I'm not your enemy Sarah."  
  
Sydney watched him walk away from her wondering if he was playing mind games with her by calling her Sarah. She followed him to the back of the lab and struggled with the doubt that came over her.  
  
He sat down and got to work in silence. It wasn't until a half an hour later that the symptoms came to a point where Sydney knew that Sark had been telling the truth.  
  
"Damn it! What hell am I missing?" Sark asked frustrated. He pushed back his chair and started pacing. His hands were shaking and his face was flushed.  
  
He turned to Sydney, who was sitting on the cot, and smiled lovingly at her as he knelt at her feet. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He then took both of her hands into his and kissed one and then the other. She was too shocked to move. The look he was giving her sent warm shivers throughout her body. She refused to acknowledge the slight pain of envy in her heart. Sark had truly loved Sarah. It wasn't the sick twisted kind that she had invisioned but the kind of love that she and Danny had only begun to cultivate before he'd been killed. "It'll be Ok Sarah, we'll be out of here soon." Sark blinked and shook his head as if to clear it. He seemed surprised to see himself at her feet holding her hands. He stood up quickly releasing her hands. "Part of the formula for the antidote is missing. Yon Hee must have deliberately left it off the computer so that her captures wouldn't get their hands on it. If you give me the antidote I'll be able to break down what's in it and make more."  
  
"No! I can't risk it, not when it's Vaughn's life on the line." She said subbornly not able to look him in the eyes. She tried to ignore the growing guilt. It was Sark's fault that Vaughn was sick in the first place, wasn't it? Ok, so he was getting delusional but he had plenty of time didn't he?  
  
Sark picked up a beaker and threw it. It flew across the room and shattered against a file case.  
  
Sydney jumped up and went toward the file cabinet as a thought occurred to her. "Sark, would Yon Hee have written some of her research down on paper?"  
  
"She may have." He said distractedly as he sat back down at the computer.  
  
Sydney went through the file cabinet wishing that she'd paid more attention to the sciences. It was all gibberish and nothing made sense. She was about to give up when she found a notebook hiding under the folders.  
  
It was labeled C-352. Wasn't that the name that Sark had given the virus? She flipped it open and she knew she'd hit the jackpot when she saw the first page.  
  
Visible Effects of C-352  
  
C-352 is undetectable during it's dormant phase. There is no know trigger to activating C-352 though the effect of the active virus is immediately visible.  
  
Stage 1 C-352 attacks the pre-frontal cortex. Visible Effect: Subjects seem to lose control of emotions and actions.  
  
Subjects A-F, and H-J have become violent and exceptionally strong, needed to be restrained immediately. Each subject became fixated on either a person or group that they wanted to destroy. Unable to determine how the target is selected.  
  
Subject G showed minimal effects if at all. Only slight bursts of temper and not directed at one specific target.  
  
Stage 2 C-352 attacks the amygdala Subjects seem unable to differentiate between the past and present and lapse into episodes where they relive a past memory. Environment may be a determinate in deciding what kind of memory is triggered. Subjects are not cognitive to symptoms.  
  
Subjects A-F, and H-J entered stage two within 48 hours after symptoms of stage 1. Subjects A, I would lapse into childhood memories of camp where they were restrained by camp mates as a practical joke. Subjects B,H,J would lapse into teenage memories of being grounded and forced to stay home. Subjects C, D, E, F lapsed into memories of prison.  
  
Subject G entered Stage 2 only 7 hours after entering stage 1. Subject G's memory lapses are more frequent and more seemless then other subjects.  
  
Stage 3 C-352 attacks the hippocampus Subjects seem to be repeating the same series of memories endlessly until reaching next stage. Unable to specify time frame for entering Stage 3.  
  
Unlike other the subjects, Subject G seems able to alter the outcome of a memory.  
  
Stage 4 C-352 attacks the brain stem Subjects have lapsed into a coma. C-352 is systematically shutting down all systems within the body starting with the respiratory system. With the use of machines, we are able to sustain life.  
  
Subject G is deceased. 


	20. A New Revelation

Chapter 20: A New Revelation  
  
"Sark!" Sydney called out to him urgently with her eyes glued to the last sentence of the first page of the notebook. Deceased. She felt panic well up in her throat. Vaughn could be in stage 4 right now and she and the antidote were thousands of miles away. After a few deep breaths and doing a little math in her head, she remembered that Vaughn hadn't shown accelerated symptoms like Subject G, he was still safe for at least another 20 hours before lapsing into a coma. She turned to Sark as he started to mutter something.  
  
Sark was sitting at the computer with his hands over his ears blocking out a sound that only he could hear. He was reciting some kind of formula. He got louder and louder until he was shouting at the top of his lungs. He got up from his chair and walked toward the cot. Midway there he stopped yelling and paused. He rubbed his temple as if he had a headache.  
  
"Sark?" Sark was following Subject G's accelerated symptoms. A myriad of thoughts and emotions invaded her. She could save him by giving him the antidote. Vaughn was thousands of miles away and Sark was in front of her. If she didn't give him the antidote, she would be forced to watch him die. Sydney remembered the loving look he'd given her thinking she was Sarah. The passionate kiss they shared before she'd injected him with the virus. The vision of him stealing her breakfast and flashing her an impish grin, another of him rising out of the hot tub on the night of their first mission. Sark was a flesh and blood man who could love and die. He could die. She didn't want him to die. The procession of thoughts came to an end at the last thought. She didn't want Sark to die.  
  
"Did you find something?" Sark asked her before she could delve deeper into figuring out why she should care if Sark lived or died.  
  
"Yes!" She said it a little louder then she meant to. "I found Yon Hee's notebook. Maybe you can find the missing part of the antidote." She handed him the notebook. His hands briefly touched hers sending electrical shocks up her arm.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Sark asked her puzzled.  
  
"No! Yes! I'm worried about Vaughn." She'd imagined that electrical shock hadn't she?  
  
Sark flipped open the notebook and read it. After reading the first page he looked up at her. "Have I?" He paused as if searching for the right words. "Am I showing any symptoms?"  
  
"A little." She lied not wanting to panic him into fighting her again.  
  
He bruisingly grabbed her arms. He hadn't panicked but there was definitely concern flashing in his eyes. "What have I said? What have I done?" When she didn't answer he shook her firmly.  
  
"You called me Sarah a couple of times." She said quickly before he could shake her again.  
  
"Did I hit you?" He searched her face.  
  
"What?!!" Had she been wrong about Sark's love for Sarah?  
  
"Listen to me carefully Sydney, if I come toward you. when I'm not myself. run." Sark said warningly and gave her a last shake to emphasize it.  
  
"You killed her! You killed Sarah!" She accused him.  
  
Sark didn't deny it. He let her go and turned away but not before Sydney saw the guilt in his eyes and she knew it was the truth.  
  
"You sick bastard! You were suppose to be in love with her and you killed her!" She wasn't sure why she was so mad or disappointed. How could she think that Sark could be human? She was glad that she hadn't given in to her feelings and given him the antidote. Let him suffer for all the pain he's caused, she thought.  
  
"Remember what I said, stay away from me." He said coldy walking away from her.  
  
"That's kind of hard since we're stuck here for the next 10 and a half hours! Did you enjoy killing her? Did she pick her husband over you? Is that why you killed her? You couldn't." She stopped as he turned around and pinned her with his intense rage. Then his face changed as if by magic. Instead of anger, he had on a pleading looking and his mouth was quirked into a boyish grin.  
  
"I do love you! You know I'd do anything for you." He said as he rubbed her arm up and down in a placating gesture.  
  
"You're a liar Sark, you never loved her." Sydney said knowing Sark was going through another past episode.  
  
"You know that you're my life but don't make me choose between you and my job." Sark had a determined edge to his face. "Figures, you'd choose your job over love, you heartless machine!" Sydney muttered under her breath.  
  
"Is that an ultimatum?" Sark looked sad. He walked to the computer and picked up something imaginary and held it to his ear. "Hello, Sanderson, this is." He stopped as if someone had taken the phone away from him. "You know that you just hung up on my boss." He said half laughing. "I know how hard it is for you not knowing where I am all the time. But I promise you that the chances of me getting hurt are pretty non-existent. It's not like in the movies you know, in fact it's usually 95% paperwork and only about 5% action." He paused and them smiled lasciviously. "Yes, Sir! I mean ma'am!" He started laughing joyously and danced around the room with an imaginary partner.  
  
Sydney didn't want to watch but she couldn't help herself. She didn't want to see the human side of Sark. She didn't want to get to know him better. She didn't want to see how happiness changed his entire face. She didn't want her anger at him to slip away as she was exposed with his smile and laughter. She sat down on the cot, tired at fighting the emotional and mental battle that was happening inside her. Why couldn't life be simple? After a few more minutes Sydney made a decision. 


	21. Once More Wont Hurt

Chapter 21: Once More Won't Hurt  
  
Sydney searched for a syringe to administer the antidote. She hadn't informed Sark of her decision. It was her last attempt at making him pay for whatever he needed paying for. Let him keep working and worrying about the antidote, she thought, maybe it'll keep him from going into another episode. Just as she finished drawing the antidote into the syringe, Sark jumped up and shouted, "Potassium! All I was missing was Potassim!"  
  
"So you can make a new batch?" Sydney asked hopefully capping the needle of the syringe  
  
"I don't have any potassium. There is no potassium here." He said it frantically, as he sifted through the beakers of chemicals. Sydney walked over and picked up a beaker. "Sark, there a bottle right here!"  
  
Sark ran toward the wall and pounded on it. "Hey! I found the antidote! Is someone there! All I need is some potassium."  
  
Sydney realized that Sark was processing another memory and she groaned. She didn't want to learn more about Sark or his relationship with Sarah. She wanted to stay objective about Sark and keep him categorized under the BAD MAN: HEARTLESS KILLING MACHINE category. Sitting down on the cot Sydney watched Sark and waited for the memory to end.  
  
Sark pushed back from the wall and knelt down as if to look at something on the floor. He did a lifting motion with one hand and stared at the same spot on the floor for minute. He looked shocked, then desolate, and then angry. He back away from the spot. He then turned toward Sydney. He rushed over to her and held her in his arms rocking her and speaking to her soothingly. It was his words that confused Sydney. "I did it, I found the cure. I injected you with it when you were sleeping. Shhhhh...I know you're in pain but it'll go away soon. We have to get out of here." He stopped talking and looked at her. He pushed her away shocked. "No, you're coming with me! I'm not going without you...Stop it! Stop saying that. You're just trying to make me hate you enough to leave you.. How did you know?" He sat down next to her and grabbed her hands. It was a good thing Sydney had set the syringe on her lap.  
  
"I know you're in pain darling but you've got to fight it. All I need is some potassium and you'll be fine.. No, you have plenty of time.. Don't you give up on me damn it!" Tears were running down Sark's face. Sydney reached out and wiped them away, she too had tears in her eyes. She had a feeling where this memory was going but she was hoping that it wasn't going to turn out that way.  
  
"I can't, please Sarah not that! I'll do anything for you but not that. Please, fight it for me!" Sark hugged her as if afraid to let go. "I promise..I love you too Sarah. They will pay for doing this to us, I'm make sure of it." Sark's voice and demeanor changed. He turned Sydney around so that her back was to him. "Sarah, do you remember the time we went to Milan and we found that castle in the middle of nowhere. It was so beautiful wasn't it? You thought it was magical." Sark reached around Sydney with his right arm. Sydney knew what was coming and she started to struggle. She used both her hands to keep Sark's right hand from her chin.  
  
"Sark, it's me Sydney, you're in a past memory." Sydney said trying to snap Sark out of it. She knew it was going to be useless. She used her left hand to grab the syringe from her lap and realized that it had fallen to the floor.  
  
"Remember how we pretended that it was our castle and that we would live there forever? I promised to buy it for you when I had enough money. I bought it for you a month ago. I wanted to surprise you with it for our anniversary." Sark was saying not hearing Sydney.  
  
"Damn it Sark snap out of it!" Sydney twisted frantically trying to get away from him. She felt his one hand on her chin and the other on the other side of her head. "Sark, I don't want to die!" Sydney pleaded. Sark's eyes lit up with hope.  
  
"That's my girl, I knew you were a fighter!" He jumped up releasing her and started planning their escape. "I think that we can used the chemicals to make a bomb.  
  
Sydney found the syringe under the cot. She forced Sark down onto the bed and straddled him so that he wouldn't move. He didn't resist, though he used his hands to caress her thighs. She uncapped the needle and injected the antidote into a vein in his neck just as his hands reached her ass. "Sark!" She cried out startled, falling forward onto his chest.  
  
"Well, Ms. Bristow, I would have never guessed that you'd take advantage of a sick man, not that I'm complaining mind you." Sark gave her butt a quick squeeze which elicited a quick intake of breath from Sydney before she rolled off him. Sark saw the syringe in her hand. "The antidote?" He asked sitting up.  
  
"Yes, you're welcome!" She said sharply hoping that she wasn't blushing.  
  
"Considering that you're the person who put me into this predicament, I don't see why a thank you is warranted." Sark said dryly.  
  
Sydney noticed that Sark's eyes were cold once more and all emotion was erased from it. She felt a little sad for the man Sark had been.  
  
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Sark asked sarcastically.  
  
"No, nothing." Sydney said a little sadly. Sark picked up on it but didn't say anything. "When will the new batch of antidote be finished?" She asked as she sat down on the cot.  
  
"What made you finally believe me?" Sark asked curious.  
  
"You ARE going to finish making the antidote?" Sydney asked as doubt came over her.  
  
"Ah, Ms. Bristow returns. It'll be finished in a half and hour." Sark began to turn on equipment and gathered up beakers.  
  
Sydney laid down on the cot and closed her eyes. She was finally beginning to understand Sark. She knew what drove him and how he had became what he was now. She wondered if in a few years, she would end up like him, emotionless, determined, and a lethal killing machine. What price was revenge? Was there still a part of the old Sark hidden deep within him and could it be reached? She dozed asleep to Sark's voice talking about the memory in Milan. "Sarah, do you remember the time we went to Milan and we found that castle in the middle of nowhere. It was so beautiful wasn't it? You thought it was magical." 


	22. When A Door Closes

Chapter 22: When a Door Closes  
  
"Come with me." Sark told her holding out his hand. His eyes held the promise of love and a beautiful future and she was inexplicably drawn to it. Before she could take a step she heard someone calling her name. She turned around to see it was Vaughn.  
  
"Don't go to him, Sydney, he's evil! Come with me." Vaughn said holding out his hand.  
  
"Do you love me? Sydney asked Vaughn taking a step toward him.  
  
"Remember regulations, Syndey." Vaughn said sternly holding up a large black book. "It says here on page 334 article 9 of the CIA Handbook. There will be no love between handler and agent. I can't love you, it says so in the handbook." Vaughn tapped the handbook and looked at her sadly. A glass wall rose up around her keeping her from reaching him. She turned around in time to see Sark take a sledgehammer and shatter the glass.  
  
"He doesn't understand love, how could he? His life is all about rules and regulations and boundaries, lots of lines he cannot cross. There are no rules when it comes to love, no regulations, no boundaries. Come with me Sydney and be free." Though he'd broken the glass around her Sark didn't come closer.  
  
"But I love him." Sydney explained. "And I know he loves me. When this is all over."  
  
"It'll never be over Sydney." Sark said sadly. "When one fight ends another begins, an endless path leading one way. But you don't have to travel alone." He smiled at her welcomingly.  
  
"He's right you know. We Bristows fight till the end and death is the only end." Irena said from behind her.  
  
"You're wrong, death isn't the only end. Once I bring down SD-6 it's over for me. I'll be free to live a normal life." Sydney said unable to look her mother in the eyes.  
  
Irena laughed. "Killing is in our blood little one. There is no normal life for the likes of us."  
  
"Think what you want, but I'm not like you. I can be happy with a normal life. I'll have a family and children. And I'll never leave them no matter what!" Sydney said defiantly looking up but her mother was no longer there.  
  
"I can't promise you normal but I can give you a family and children. We can name our first son Alexander, I've always been partial to the name." Sark voice whispered into her ear. Expecting to see him right behind her she turned around. He was even farther away then before.  
  
"But I don't love you! I don't even know you!" Sydney lashed out frustrated at being offered the things she yearned for but still feel like it was beyond her reach.  
  
"You can learn to love me. I already love you." Sark replied.  
  
"No, you love Sarah, not me. I just look like her." Sydney said self- consciously  
  
"But you can be her." Sark cajoled.  
  
"I don't want to be her, I want to be me. I want you to love me!" Sydney stopped shocked at her outburst. Did she want him to love her?  
  
"Have I taught you nothing, Sydney? Love is pain. It's a useless emotion that will destroy you." Jack Bristow said.  
  
"No, Dad. You taught me that life without it isn't worth living." Sydney replied sadly.  
  
"Then don't make mistake I did. Don't love the wrong person." Jack warned.  
  
"Is Sark the wrong person?" Sydney asked. Jack faded away before he could respond.  
  
"Is Vaughn the right one?" Sark countered.  
  
"I don't know, I think so." Sydney answered truthfully.  
  
"He doesn't understand people like us Sydney. He will want to restrict you with his rules and regulation because he won't be able to live without them. You will die in his world and he'll be destroyed in yours." Sark was moving farther away.  
  
"I'll make it work! Where are you going?" She asked panicked. She was getting cold.  
  
"You're not ready. Keep your Mr. Vaughn, I can wait until he's dead." Sark said sadly drifting farther away.  
  
"Wait, come back! Please! I don't want to be alone." Sydney cried running after him. When she had nearly caught up with him someone grabbed her before she could touch him. She struggled to get away. "No, I've got to find him."  
  
"Sydney, it's me!" Vaughn was the one holding her. He shook her gently. Then harder.  
  
Sydney could hear Sark calling her. "Ms. Bristow.Sydney.SYDNEY!"  
  
Sark was shaking her awake. "We have 15 minutes before that door opens and I'm not about to stay here for another 12 hours."  
  
"Why did you let me sleep so long?" Sydney asked shocked that she'd slept the entire time.  
  
"It looked like you needed it and it kept you out of the way." Sark replied.  
  
"The antidote!" She stood up remembering why she was here.  
  
"On the table. One is the formula Yon Hee came up with and the other is my creation. I think that I might have found the cure for Stage 4, if he needs it." Sark said is almost shyly, at least without his usual arrogance.  
  
Sydney touched his arm to get his attention. "Thank you!" She said meaning it with the bottom of her heart giving him a smile.  
  
"Get your stuff together, I don't know what's going to be on the other side of the door when it opens." Sark said gruffly walking away.  
  
Sydney carefully placed the two antidotes into a small bulletproof box she'd brought with her and put it into her backpack. She tripped over something and realized that they were her boots. How did they get off her feet? She realized that she didn't have her jacket on either. It was folded next to her boots. Sark must have taken them off her. She smiled at the thought that Sark would do something as thoughtful as making her comfortable while she was sleeping. Ever since waking up she hadn't felt at war with Sark. She felt almost comfortable with him, almost.  
  
"Get moving Bristow, we still have to plan out our escape!" Sark said from behind her.  
  
"What? You already haven't done it?" Sydney half teased. Sark wasn't bad when he wasn't being a jerk.  
  
"No, I thought you'd like to feel like you did something during this mission." Sark countered with a smirk.  
  
Sydney looked around the lab and realized that everything was rearranged. "Did you feel the need for redecorating?" She asked a little confused.  
  
"Just making sure that we have a fighting chance." He said cryptically dragging her behind the newly relocated computer desk. It was strategically placed so that they could run out the door when it was clear.  
  
"I take it that once the door opens you set off the charges until we can slip out?" Sydney guessed reading the situation..  
  
"Very good Ms. Bristow. The first two are small contained explosives, the third will be a smoke bomb so that we can leave without be spotted." Sark said smiling, it didn't reach his eyes but Sydney didn't expect it to, one step at a time she thought. "You're going to have to stop calling me that. I know you do it to annoy me. Call me Sydney. Bristow can get confusing because of Dad." Sydney ordered.  
  
"Somehow I don't think that there's any danger of confusing you two." Sark said dryly.  
  
"I know that you wouldn't consider me a friend but if you ever need to talk about her, you already have my cell number." Sydney reached out to him not knowing what to expect. No, she expected him to tell her to go to hell.  
  
"Is this a bonding moment? The door is going to open in a few minutes and I don't remember having one on the schedule." Sark said sarcastically.  
  
Sydney knew her plan to humanize Sark was going to take a long time. "Before this mission started I didn't understand you or your motives."  
  
"And you do now?" Sark interrupted not quite snorting.  
  
"I'm beginning to." Sydney answered. "This mission wasn't about finding the antidote for Vaughn, it was a rescue mission. It was already planned before you met me at dinner last night wasn't it?"  
  
"So?" He responded rudely.  
  
"Because you care about that women Yon Hee, just like you care about the Mathews." She laying out her theories.  
  
"Look Sydney, stop trying to find something that isn't there. You were right the first time you tried to profile me. I am a cold-blooded killer. I kill because I like to play God."  
  
"Did you kill Crawford at the reunion?" She asked changing the subject.  
  
"No, someone beat me to it." He said unthinkingly.  
  
"Have you ever purposefully killed an innocent?" She fired off again.  
  
"I kidnapped your friend Will, what do you think?" Sark retorted.  
  
"I don't think you have." Sydney said softly.  
  
"Then you're a fool!" He said disgusted.  
  
"When I was captured, you found a way to get me to eat and sleep. You saved my life at the reunion. You warned Vaughn that he was going to get sick. You still made an antidote for the next stage of the virus when already had Yon Hee's antidote made! So why? I know it's because I look like Sarah. I also know you're using me as bait to find her killers. I also know that cold-blooded killers would have killed me after I injected them with a deadly virus. Cold-blooded killers don't take off jackets and shoes of their 'bait' so that they can sleep better either."  
  
She paused waiting for him to say something. He didn't. She continued talking in a soft voice. "When you went into an episode, you were remembering the day she died. I saw how much you loved her and how it destroyed you to have to kill her. I don't know everything about you Sark nor would I presume to say I do. There are a lot things that don't add up like how her husband fits into the whole picture." She paused waiting for him to fill her in.  
  
"I'm surprise that you haven't figured it out already since you purport to know a lot. I'm.." He stopped as the door groaned signaling the end of their 12 hour incarceration.  
  
The soldiers started coming in as the door was halfway open and he set off the first bomb. He set off second the bomb, as the door was fully open. When the door started to go down he hit the smoke bomb and signaled Sydney to exit. Sark skillfully shot two soldiers between the eyes before reaching the door. Sydney had a gun but she fought her way out. She delivered a side-kick to one soldier and then used the butt of her gun to knock him out. One soldier grabbed her from behind as another punched her. Before he could land another punch he fell to his knees with a bullet in his head.  
  
"Need I remind you that we don't have any time to waste?" Sark said from the already halfway closed door. Sydney flipped the soldier that was holding her from behind and rolled under the door as it closed behind her.  
  
"Do you always cut it that close every mission?" Sark asked derisively as he put his gun into automatic and shot several soldiers who came around the corner.  
  
She got to her feet. "Hey, just because I don't like to kill everything that moves." There was a loud explosion and the door behind them bulged out. He gave her a 'see why I my way works better' look before they sprinted around the corner to escape the blast. Sydney noticed the garbage chute to the right hand side after they skidded around the corner. She shoved Sark into it and dove in after him, just as the flames licked at her boots.  
  
The chute exited five feet off the ground outside of the building and into a ditch. Sydney and Sark landed without breaking anything though both of them had to take a moment to catch their breath. It was dark out so they were surprised and temporarily blinded when they were caught by a searchlight from overhead. 


	23. Anything Can Happen

Chapter 23: Anything Can Happen  
  
Instead of a rain of gunfire, a ladder came down.  
  
A familiar voice came in on the communicator on Sark's wrist.  
  
"Come in Phoenix! What the hell are you two doing down there? Jump the hell on!" Taylor said.  
  
Sydney, followed by Sark, climbed the ladder as the chopper hovered over the building. They had just gotten inside when Taylor shot a missile at the building. A huge explosion rocked the building and the power of it even rocked the chopper. "Thank you ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has definitely left the building cause it's been rocked down!" Taylor crowed over the headphones Sark and Sydney put on.  
  
"As much as I loved the show, was that really necessary?" Sydney asked a little peeved that she'd almost fallen out of the chopper as a result of the blast. She hated looking bad in front of Sark. When he wasn't pointing her mistakes out, he was giving her a look.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I stole both the missile and the chopper from that sorry bunch. Didn't cost us a penny. You're going to have to torch this beautiful baby when we land at the rendezvous site, can't take it with us." Taylor said sadly. "They must have had an hidden airfield under the building." Taylor said innocently.  
  
"You're supposed to be in America!" Sark said sharply when he could get a word in.  
  
"Hey, who else was going to save your ass? Besides, you know our motto, we never leave our men behind." Taylor explained.  
  
"I thought that was the Navy Seals." Said Sydney confused.  
  
"Jesus Sark, did you tell her anything?" Taylor said laughing.  
  
"It's on a need to know bases, and she doesn't need to know." Sark said briskly.  
  
"Excuse me, would you mind not talking about me as if I'm not here! I just risked my life in there. Not to mention getting stuck in there for twelve hours. I need to know." Sydney said knowing full well that she'd been there for an entirely different reason. "You can either tell me now or I dig around when I get back." Sydney threatened.  
  
"Fine, tell her." Sark said giving in.  
  
"Yon Hee is the daughter of the four star general that heads America's Delta Force. The North Korean's kidnapped her hoping that he would retaliate using Delta Force. That's why the base wasn't heavily guarded. The North Korean's plan was to publicize the retaliation and cause embarrassment to the American military stating that Americans were always waging personal wars using Delta Force which would be believable since not much is known about who they are and what they do. Intel showed us that North Koreans already have a press conference scheduled with footage of explosions and everything. What they didn't realize was that they also kidnapped Sark's girlfriend. The general contacted Sark who in turn organized a special team recruited from the 707th Special Missions Battalion from South Korea and the Seal Teams from the US on a volunteer basis. I joined because I'm sick of going on half assed pointless missions because some politicians on the Hill decided that they know how the military should be run. We are the most powerful military force in the world and the majority of us sit around scratching our ass. Don't get me wrong, I want world peace as much as the next guy but I'm sick of doing nothing where there are men and women out there that needs protecting. You know what I mean? Anyways, the South Koreans jumped at the chance of being able to blow up some of the North Korean instillations knowing that because of the kidnapping they'd brought themselves within terrorist jurisdiction. If Sark hasn't told you already how much a genius he is, he did it all in two days. Fucking amazing huh? The North Koreans went out fishing but they brought in the wrong fish. Wait until the North Koreans discover that it was the South Korean's who rescued Yon Hee and destroyed three of the 'secret bases' using their own weapons to do it." Taylor stopped talking and immersed himself in that happy thought.  
  
Sark and Sydney had remained silent through Taylor's spiel. Sydney was still reeling from the comment about Yon Hee being Sark's girfriend. She'd known that they shared a friendship but a relationship? She tried to remember what Yon Hee looked like and all she could remember was that she had been incredibly beautiful, and obviously very smart.  
  
"So Sydney, how about you and me getting some grub when we get back to the States?" Taylor asked interrupting her thoughts.  
  
"I'd love to." Sydney began but Sark interrupted her.  
  
"She's taken." He said sharply.  
  
"Hey! Let the lady speak for herself!" Complained Taylor.  
  
"I would love to but I need to visit a close friend at the hospital when I get back." Sydney said smiling.  
  
"Ah, I see." Taylor said a little disappointed.  
  
"I do have a friend that I would like to set you up with." Sydney said thinking about Francie and her dry dating spell since she'd got rid of the JERK. The JERK was the name that Sydney had dubbed Francie's last serious boyfriend who had cheated on her. "She's opening a restaurant in two weeks called FSW. I can introduce you if you're interested."  
  
"Are you kidding, food is my favorite thing in the world!" Taylor said smiling. The man had perfect teeth.  
  
Sydney usually made it a rule never to let the lines between her private and professional life blur but had a good feeling about Taylor. "I'll make you a deal, if you can get me to back into the states in less then 8 hours, I'll build you up to Francie."  
  
"You've got yourself a deal." Taylor said.  
  
"And Taylor, as far as Francie knows, I work as a banking consultant for a company called Credit Suisse and we met on the plane to Los Angeles." Sydney had to force herself to breath after his two thumbs up which caused the helo to lurch. Vaughn was going to be safe, she told herself and allowed herself to relax. She wondered what he was going to say before the doors had opened. She looked over at him and was surprise to see him with his eyes closed. She let him sleep, after all he had let her sleep uninterrupted for almost ten hours.  
  
After a quick switch into a four-seater stealth plane, they took off as the helo exploded below them eliciting an exaggerated groan from Taylor. He did a quick upside down bypass as a salute and then set off for the South and North Korean boarder. He was only 5 minutes away from the border when there was a high-pitched beep.  
  
"Damn!" Taylor said. "Hold on to your hats, we've got company." The plane did a quick swerve to avoid an incoming MiG. Sydney was glad that she hadn't eaten anything recently. Two MiG-21's flew to either side of the plane and another stayed behind them. Then another MiG flew above them and stayed there effectively boxing their plane in.  
  
Sark got onto the radio to speak to their unwanted escorts. He spoke in Korean. "We are on a special mission for General Dao, do not fire!" The leader of the planes responded with a terse. "We were not told of any special missions."  
  
"That would defeat the purpose of a secret mission wouldn't it?" Taylor responded and received a glare from Sark.  
  
"Land at Nuchonri air base while we verify your purpose." The voice ordered.  
  
"No time, contact General Xing and let him know that we are under orders from General Dao regarding project 6PI10." Sark told the North Korean pilot authoritatively.  
  
"Sark we have four South Korean F-4s 7 minutes away, they want to know if we need assistance." Taylor said in American.  
  
"Tell them not to cross into North Korean airspace!" Sark ordered.  
  
They were 2 minutes away from the border when the North Korean pilot contacted them. "You have been cleared, you may proceed. There are four enemy planes that are approaching the border, we will keep them occupied while you cross."  
  
"Yes, keep them occupied but do not cross into South Korean airspace, we don't want to start a war, not while they are on good terms with the U.S." Sark replied.  
  
As Sark had orchestrated the North and South Korean pilots played chicken with each other as the plane crossed into South Korea.  
  
7 hours and 58 minutes later they arrived by chopper at the CIA hospital. When Sydney rushed into the room where Vaughn was suppose to be, all she found was a nurse changing the sheets.  
  
"Where is he?" Sydney cried panicked.  
  
"I'm sorry miss, he passed away a half an hour ago." The nurse said. 


	24. Lazarus

Chapter 24: Lazarus  
  
No! He can't be. He still had 12 more hours! NO! You're lying, who's paying you? Who are you working for?" Sydney advanced on the nurse who drew back in fear.  
  
"Maybe I should call Dr. Sanderson." The nurse said leaping for the phone. Sydney reached it before the nurse did. The nurse looked fearfully at Sydney and then toward the door to see if she could escape. She knew it was hopeless. "I'm sorry for your friend's death but it was only a matter of time, there as nothing more that we could do."  
  
"Stop saying he's dead! He can't be, he just can't!" Sydney's voice broke.  
  
The nurses training took over and she directed Sydney into a chair. "There now, it's always difficult to accept death even if you knew it was an eventuality."  
  
"You don't understand, I have the cure right here." Sydney said dully, bringing out the two syringes with the antidote.  
  
"Oh, let me guess you bought it from someone who claimed that it would cure any illness." The nurse said unbelievingly. She knew that some family members would spend fortunes on so called cures and be disappointed with the results. She hoped that this young lady hadn't spent too much.  
  
"Can I be alone here for a minute?" Sydney asked not wanting to break down in front of a complete stranger.  
  
"Yes dear, take as long as you like." The nurse said giving her shoulder a last comforting pat before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.  
  
Sydney sobbed holding her hands over her mouth to hold back the sounds of grief. Her entire body shook and her eyes were blurred with tears. What was she going to do without Vaughn? He'd been the foundation in her life, the one she depended on to center her when everything was falling apart. He'd made her feel safe and kept her from sane. She didn't hear the door open or notice the person enter the room until he'd put his hand on her shoulder in comfort. She knew him by his touch and its gentleness undid her. A hoarse cry of pain escaped her. She directed the pain at the only target in the room.  
  
"You can't play god with people's lives! If you'd only told us about the virus sooner or had made Yon Hee given us the formula four days ago, Vaughn would still be alive. It's your fault he's dead! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" He let her pounded on his chest and until she grew tired. When she was spent, he gathered her into his arms and comforted her.  
  
"How could this happen? We have the antidote. He should be alive. He had at least twelve more hours. It was my fault, if we hadn't gotten stuck." Sydney blamed herself. Sydney had her face tucked against his neck. Her tears were soaking his shirt but he didn't notice.  
  
"Look at me Sydney, you did everything you could." Sark forced her chin up so that she would look him in the eyes and see the truth.  
  
"He wouldn't have gotten sick if I hadn't dragged him to Taipei. Why did it have to be him? He was so good and kind. It should have been me." She said brokenly.  
  
"Don't say that!" Sark ordered, but it wasn't one that Sydney would obey.  
  
"I should have been me!" She repeated hysterically, sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
Sark stopped her the only way he could, he held her by the nape of her neck and kissed her. The kiss was slightly salty from the tears but it did its purpose, Sydney stopped talking. In fact she stopped thinking as well and welcomed the kiss. It made her forget where she was; all she knew was that it made her feel alive. She couldn't get close enough to him, she held onto him, as tightly as if she was drowning and he was her lifeline.  
  
"Get away from my daughter!" Jack ordered. He had his gun pointed at Sark's head.  
  
"Dad!" She felt like a teenager getting caught kissing her boyfriend. Then everything came crashing back. "Oh Dad! I can't believe he's gone!" She ran to him and hugged him. He patted her back awkwardly, clearing his throat.  
  
"Sydney, if you're talking about Vaughn, he only went one floor up to room 402." Jack said in his usual businesslike way.  
  
"You mean he isn't dead?" Sydney asked confused.  
  
"No, is that what he told you?" Jack asked glaring at Sark. "We moved him to recovery after Dr. Yon Hee came up with an antidote. He went into Stage Four briefly before he was injected but he should be fine in a couple of weeks."  
  
"He's alive!" Sydney said joyfully before she ran out of the room.  
  
"Stay away from my daughter!" Jack ordered Sark. Though the gun was no longer pointing at Sark, the threat was still clear.  
  
"I'm afraid that wont be possible." Sark said unfazed, walking up to him face to face to show that he wasn't afraid of him. "You will be seeing a lot more of me from now on and I'd rather if we met on cordial terms. You're choice, though I would like to point out that I'd make a dangerous enemy."  
  
"I know exactly who and what you are, Sark!" He spit out Sark's name and received a suspicious look in return. "You're just using my daughter and I'm not going to let you do it. If you force me I'll use everything in my power to remove you from her life."  
  
"You know as well as I do that we both have contacts in high places. We can work together to find and destroy them before they get Sydney." Sark knew that he wouldn't need to clarify who the 'them' he was referring to. Sark had been notified that Jack had been buying information regarding anything pertaining to the Seekers.  
  
"You really think that I would trust a man who works for Irena Dervko?" Jack asked.  
  
"She and I have an understanding. I'm sure that you've allied yourself to people that I have objections to as well." Sark countered referring to SD- 6.  
  
Jack knew that he would never grow to like Sark but he was beginning to respect him. Sark was more then a young, arrogant, fool with no fear of death, he was a man that finished everything he started thoroughly and completely. Jack also knew that Sark wasn't mercenary, Sark had enough money to buy a small country so he couldn't be bought. But he also knew that Sark had a hidden agenda that could become a difficulty later on. "Allying myself with you in no way means that I want you around my daughter." Jack said agreeing to Sark's proposal.  
  
"What Sydney and I do doesn't concern you." Sark said shortly. "All you need to know is that I'll keep her safe."  
  
"Just like you kept you wife safe?" Jack stressed the word wife, he also revealed to Sark that he knew a lot more about him then Sark had originally thought.  
  
Something dangerous flashed in Sark's eyes but he quickly masked it. "I'm no longer the naïve fool I once was, I'm sure my track record speaks for itself."  
  
Before they could finish the conversation, Yon Hee interrupted them. "Sark!" She ran into the room and into Sark's arms kissing him.  
  
"Yo, I heard that you created the antidote in time." Sark said addressing her by her nickname.  
  
"What? Did you doubt I could? I told you that it was only a matter of time." Yon Hee said proudly before giving him another kiss.  
  
"It's time for you to meet your father, he's been waiting for you." Sark said breaking off the kiss gently but firmly. He titled his head toward Jack.  
  
"Jack, I was wondering where you went off to. I want to tell you again that you have a very talented and wonderful daughter and I'm grateful for her assistance in rescuing me. If you're looking for her, she's visiting Michael right now." Yon Hee said putting on a brilliant smile.  
  
"If you'll excuse me." Jack said leaving the room. Sark knew that the polite courtesy was for Yon Hee's benefit.  
  
"Darling, I know that we're supposed to meet up with Dad but can't he wait 15 minutes? I haven't seen you for almost two weeks." Yon Hee said pouting prettily. She laid down on the bed seductively crooking her index finger and then patting the bed next to her.  
  
Sark smiled devilishly but instead of lying next to her he pulled her up, one hand on her arm, the other on her thigh and pulled her in for a kiss. When the kiss ended he smiled at her warmly and whispered into her ear. "The chopper is waiting for us on the roof."  
  
"Sark!" Yon Hee complained giving him a 'how can you tease me like this' look.  
  
"There will be plenty of time on the plane." Sark promised naughtily kissing her forehead and giving her butt a slap. "You're chariot awaits, my lady!" He escorted her out of the hospital as they laughing together as if the last few days had never occurred. 


	25. Back to Normal

Chapter 25: Back to Normal  
  
Sydney ran into Vaughn's room and stopped abruptly before reaching the bed. Vaughn was sleeping peacefully as the monitors in the room beeped to indicate that all was well. There was a chair next to his bed and she sat down in it. She gently held his hand trying not to wake him. She brought his hand to her lips as warm tears fell down her cheeks.  
  
"Hello you. Hey, why are you crying?" Vaughn said weakly waking up.  
  
"Because I'm such a fool." Sydney said wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.  
  
"You're many things Sydney Bristow, and fool isn't one of them." Vaughn said in his usually comforting way. "By the way, what took you so long?" He teased to alleviate the mood.  
  
"I ran into a few complications on my way here, nothing I couldn't handle." Sydney said smiling. Just being around Vaughn always made her feel that everything was going to be fine.  
  
"So why the tears? Did something happen?" Vaughn asked concerned. He struggled to sit up but Sydney pushed him back gently and used the button by the side of the bed to sit him up.  
  
"The nurse downstairs send me to the wrong room and the nurse in that room told me that you were dead." Sydney said laughing at herself for having believed it. "Now you see why I was calling myself a fool?" She sat down with a sigh and a thump.  
  
"Sydney, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. See, I'm alive and well, mostly well anyways. Dr. Sanderson wants to keep me here for observation for the next two weeks to make sure that the antidote doesn't have any side effects. You should have seen Dr. Yon Hee and Dr. Sanderson go at it. She told him that if he didn't get out of her way that she would shoot him and then patch him up and then shoot him again. She even managed to steal your father's gun to prove that she was serious. Where in the world did you find her?" Vaughn's eyes were alight with laughter though smiling seemed to be a difficulty because of the pain.  
  
"So you remember everything even though you were in a Stage 4?" Sydney said half talking to herself. She wondered how much Sark remembered.  
  
"It's strange, but it's like I was there seeing everything but unable to control anything I said or did. Sydney I'm so sorry about hitting you." Vaughn said remembering three days ago when he'd thrown her through a table at the reunion.  
  
"Hey, it was nothing, if I hadn't gotten you infected with the virus in the first place." She smiled ruefully at him. She knew that Vaughn would never blame her but it didn't assuage the guilt. Her heart leaped at the thought of how close she had lost him and how if felt when she though he had.  
  
"Why don't we call it even?" Vaughn said.  
  
"Oh no, I think that I owe you a lot more then that." Sydney replied.  
  
"And I owe you for my life Sydney, if you hadn't send Dr. Yon Hee, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Vaughn said firmly.  
  
"About that, Sark's the one you should thank, not me." Sydney said quickly.  
  
"Damn, I don't like owing that guy." A tension filled the air.  
  
"Vaughn, Sark isn't as bad as he seems. I think that with some help he can be turned to out side and help us. He said." Vaughn interrupted her before she could finish.  
  
"You can't believe anything he says Sydney. Did he give you some sob story about how he wants to be a good person but never got the chance? He's not some misunderstood bad boy that you can convert. He's a master manipulator who uses people to get what he wants. He's playing you Sydney." Vaughn said harshly. His eyed narrowed suspiciously as a thought occurred to him. Sark wouldn't have helped him unless he got something out of it. "How did you get him to help you?"  
  
"He was going to help you anyways." Sydney mumbled ashamed of how she'd injected Sark with the virus. It hadn't been necessary to lead Sark on that way, she could have as easily just shot him with tranquilizer dart filled with the virus as she had originally planned. She'd deliberately wanted to play mind games with him to hurt him. Before she'd gone to meet Sark, she'd visited Vaughn. Vaughn had been restrained to the bed and he'd been screaming about how Sark had done this to him. She'd hated to see Vaughn turned into an animal and she'd wanted to make Sark pay for it. Only the consequences weren't quite what she had expected.  
  
"Sydney, what did you promise him?" Vaughn said urgently. He was worried about Sydney; dealing with Sark was like dealing with the devil. He may want something from her that she couldn't deliver without sever consequences. The CIA had strict rules and once you cross the line, there was no going back.  
  
"I didn't sell my soul to him!" Sydney said impatiently. She was afraid that by telling Vaughn what lengths she had gone through to get the antidote, she could lose his respect. There were only a few things she treasured and Vaughn's respect was one of them.  
  
"What did you promise him?" Jack asked from behind her.  
  
"I didn't promise him anything! I injected him with the virus so that he would have a reason to help me." Sydney answered feeling like she as being ambushed. "It was stupid and pointless since he was already going to help. It nearly got us both killed." Sydney confessed leaving out the other details. She looked nervously at Vaughn to see if she saw disgust there.  
  
"What do you mean?" Vaughn and Jack asked together.  
  
"He reacted slightly differently from it then you did. He went through the stages a lot quicker." Sydney said still searching Vaughn's face. It remained impassive.  
  
"He looked fine when I saw him." Jack said drawing her attention.  
  
"That's because he came up with the antidote while we were trapped in the lab." She brought out the two syringes and put them on the bed. "He even found an antidote for stage four in case Vaughn needed it. I guess he was telling the truth when he told me that Yon Hee was coming straight here." She sighed at how stubborn she'd been. Sark had never outright lied to her. He'd kept things from her it but it wasn't the same.  
  
"Did he say anything that we could use against him?" Jack asked interested.  
  
"No, nothing that I would use against him." She said deflecting the question.  
  
Vaughn and Jack sent a look to each other over her wording. Jack's cell rang before either could comment on it.  
  
"I'll be right there." Jack said hanging up. He nodded at Vaughn and looked at Sydney. "You should get some sleep, both of you." He said before leaving the room.  
  
"Can you stay for a little while longer, until I fall asleep?" Vaughn asked knowing it was a selfish request. He wasn't quite ready to let her go.  
  
"I'll stay as long as you need me." Sydney said pushing the button to lay the bed flat. She held onto his hand with both of hers and sat down in her chair.  
  
Vaughn wanted to say that he'd need her forever but changed his mind at the last minute. "Is the chair comfortable?" Vaughn asked yawning. He was more tired then he'd realized.  
  
"It'll be fine." She said.  
  
"You can lay next to me if you want." Vaughn said sleepily, closing his eyes and pulling her hands closer.  
  
Sydney lied down next to him laying her head on his chest. "Goodnight Vaughn." She whispered.  
  
"Goodnight Sydney." Vaughn mumbled before falling asleep. 


	26. Uninvited Guests

Chapter 26: Uninvited Guests  
  
"I'm so nervous that my hands are shaking." Francie told Sydney.  
  
"Hey, don't be. This place is great." Sydney assured her best friend. Tonight was the night of Francie's restaurant opening and reception. So far it was going very smoothly but then again they were only 15 minutes into the opening. Only 10 guests had showed up so far which wasn't bad since only 30 people had been invited.  
  
The restaurant was sectioned off into three parts, the waiting area, the bar, and the main eating section. It was decorated with tastefully with a Eurasian fusion look that would reflect the style of the food. There was a four string quartet that was playing softly in the corner of the eating section. Francie, who had been banned from the kitchen by the temperamental French chef earlier that day, stood with Sydney stood in the reception area to greet guests.  
  
"How do I look? Do I look professional?" Francie asked frantically.  
  
Sydney looked at Francie puzzled, professional usually wasn't what Francie wanted to look like. It was usually, good, sexy, hot, or F-able. "You look great, will you stop worrying!"  
  
"You don't understand, you know the silent partner I was telling you about?" Seeing Sydney's blank look Francie continued. "Remember when I told you that I wouldn't receive the loan for the restaurant unless I had a more established financial partner? Never mind, he's coming in!"  
  
Sydney turned toward the door and almost fainted. Sark and Yon Hee were entering the restaurant. What the hell were they doing here? Sydney thought shocked. When Francie rushed over to them Sydney realized with a sinking feeling that Sark was the silent partner Francie had just been talking about.  
  
"Sydney, this is Mr. Sark and Ms. Larsen." Francie said making introductions.  
  
"Please let's dispense with the formalities, you can call me Yo." Yon Hee said smiling and giving Sydney a hug instead of the usual handshake. Sydney had to bend down slightly because she was so much taller then Yon Hee. Yon Hee gave her a wink and a mischievous smile to signal Sydney that her secret life would be kept a secret from Francie.  
  
"It's nice to meet you Ms. Larson." Sydney looked pointedly at Sark and said. "I've already had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Sark. In fact there's something I need to discuss with him right now. If you two will excuse me. She grabbed Sark's arm and dragged him into a small office in the back of the restaurant. When she had the door closed she rounded in on Sark.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked him angrily. "Do you have any idea what you've done? I promise you Sark I'm not going to let you use Francie for whatever purpose you have in mind, I'll shoot you first." Sydney warned.  
  
"Are you finished?" Sark asked as if he hadn't heard her threat.  
  
"Do you have any idea how much this restaurant means to her? Why did you do this? Do you get some sick pleasure ruining my life." Sydney said starting to pace the room. "I can understand you wanting to get retaliate for the injecting you with the virus, but I thought we were past all that. Francie hasn't done anything to you. So why Sark?"  
  
"Mason Philip." Sark said simply interrupting her endless scenarios of why he would decide to go into the restaurant business.  
  
"Mason Philip as in the hotel mogul?" Sydney said confused.  
  
He didn't continue until Sydney prompted him with a go ahead nod of her head. She leaned on the office desk and steeled herself for bad news.  
  
"The previous owners of this restaurant were the Keeling brothers. When Mason Philip approached them to buy the restaurant they refused. Two days later they mysteriously disappeared. A week later their bodies showed up on the Florida coast. The restaurant passed onto a younger sister who knew how much the restaurant meant to her brothers so she only sold it to someone who would keep it as a restaurant, your friend Francie. Mason scheduled a meeting to meet with Francie under the pretext of being a business partner. He was going to sabotage the success of the restaurant and then buy Francie's share of the restaurant when it went under. Since he already owned the rest of the block, he was then going to tear everything down then build a hotel, restaurant, and shopping center in it's place. This location is ideal because it's in the center of the four of the largest business buildings in the city. He would make millions. Through the bank I found out when Francie was going to meet Mason and made sure I met her first. I then made her a business proposal that she couldn't refuse."  
  
"But what's in it for you?" Sydney asked looking for a hidden motive.  
  
"Money." Sark said simply.  
  
"If Mason was willing to kill to get the restaurant, how do you know he'll stop now? Sydney asked worrying about Francie.  
  
"I made him a proposal he couldn't refuse." Sark said as a glint of something dangerous flashed in his eyes. Sydney's eyes widened and she tried to remember if she'd read anything regarding Mason's death. "I didn't kill him. I bought him out, the entire block." Sark said wryly seeing Sydney's expression.  
  
"Oh!" She said and got to her feet, she was satisfied. She was about to open the door when realized that something wasn't quite right. "How did you get him to sell to you?" She said turning around to look at him.  
  
Sark smiled, surprising Sydney. "I had evidence to prove that he was involved in the death of the Keeling brothers."  
  
"You blackmailed him?" Sydney was disappointed; it was the first time that Sark had lied to her.  
  
"I blackmailed him into selling to me." Sark stated clearing up the misunderstanding. "I paid him top dollar."  
  
"So this guy kills two people and gets off scott free? Sydney said shaking her head at the unfairness of it all.  
  
"Not quite." Sark said slyly. "I knew that if I handed the evidence to the police, the man's lawyers would get him off in a month on some technicality. I'm going to get him where it'll hurt him most, financially. In 2 years, he's going to be bankrupt and he wont even see it coming."  
  
"Were the Keeling brother's friends of yours?" Sydney asked wondering why Sark would make so much effort to bring the Mason down.  
  
"They were someone's family." Sark said grimly. "Shall we join the party?" He said doing a lightning change in mood.  
  
Sydney and Sark found Yon Hee, Francie and Will laughing together. When Will saw Sark he paled, when he saw Yon Hee go to Sark's side, he looked like he was going to faint.  
  
"Darling, you have to meet Will, he's such a flirt. If I hadn't met you first." Yon Hee said innocently not seeing Will's reaction.  
  
Will was nervously coughing. "You're Mr. Sark's date?" Will coughed out. "I wasn't, I mean, I didn't mean.."  
  
"You look like you could use a drink." Sark said gesturing to a nearby waiter.  
  
"Ummm, I think I see a friend waving to me, I'm going to go. See them I mean. Not that I'm trying to get away from you or anything. I'm going." Will said backing away and almost running into a waiter carrying a tray of appetizers.  
  
"I'm going to check on him." Francie said.  
  
"Wait, Ms. Calfo." Sark said stopping her.  
  
"Please call me Francie." Francie said halting.  
  
"I wanted to let you know that the mayor and a few of my acquaintances will be arriving shortly. I hope that is fine with you. I notified the chef several days ago when I couldn't reach you over the phone." He looked pointedly at Sydney. Sydney had hung up on him several times when he'd called over the last week. She'd even erased a phone message on hearing his voice.  
  
"You invited the mayor and he's going to come here?" Francie said trying desperately to hide her panic. "It's fine, everything fine. If you'll excuse me."  
  
When Francie was out of hearing range, Yon Hee hit Sark hard in the arm. "How could you do that to her! You could have left her a message, you stupid man! Poor Francie, I'm going to see if there's anything I can do." Yon Hee stalked off after Francie after rolling her eyes and sending a 'what am I going to do with him' look to Sydney.  
  
"You can erase the smirk on your face." Sark told Sydney.  
  
"Was I smirking?" Sydney said innocently. Maybe having Sark around wasn't going to be all bad.  
  
"Yes, you were smirking." Sark said slightly smiling.  
  
Sydney's expression changed when she saw Francie, Yon Hee, and Will together laughing in the back. For once Sark misunderstood her expression.  
  
"She won't tell them anything." He said trying to reassure her.  
  
"I'm not worried about that, it's just that I should be the one there." She said forgetting for a moment it was Sark she was talking to.  
  
"You're jealous!" Sark said surprised.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Sydney said knowing that he was right. This woman shows up out of nowhere and is automatically liked by everyone including her father. Especially liked by Vaughn who'd only met her for only 12 hours and he'd been singing her praises and asking when she was going to come visit. "I just don't want her to lead Will on. Just look at the way she's hanging all over him. Don't you think you should get her away from him?" Sydney said trying to urge Sark into action.  
  
"Yo and I have an understanding. We don't tell each other what to do and who to see or not to see. Besides, I all I see is Yo trying to make your friends feel at ease." Sark said enjoying Sydney's discomfort.  
  
"What is your relationship with her? Is she you're girlfriend?" Sydney asked going on the offensive.  
  
"That my dear Ms. Bristow is none of your business." Sark said giving her an infuriating smirk.  
  
"Does she know about Sarah?" Sydney said wanting to erase the smirk off his face. She succeeded; there was only a look of coldness in his face, which sent a chill through her body. He grabbed her arm in a tight grip.  
  
"No, and she won't be finding out from you either." Sark warned.  
  
"I wasn't going to tell her anything." Sydney said pulling her arm away and rubbing the red mark left on her arm. "Do you think that we will ever have a civilized conversation without trying to kill each other?"  
  
"I was under the assumption that that's what we were doing." Sark said politely.  
  
Sydney let out a snort.  
  
"If you'd like to talk about he weather or what I think about the geopolitical ramifications of the end hunger policy written by the UN, I could be persuaded to have a polite discussion with you." Sark replied amicably.  
  
"Ummm, you start." Sydney said.  
  
"What great weather we've been having." Sark said overly polite.  
  
"Yes, it's been refreshing to have.oh, this is ridiculous!" Sydney said. "Why didn't you talk about the end hunger policy?" She asked miffed. She was smart, she'd read about it in the newspaper. Did he think that she was stupid?  
  
"I didn't want to take the chance that if you didn't know about it you'd take it as a ploy I'd devised to make you seem less intelligent." Sark explained. "I assumed the weather was a safer topic."  
  
There was silence for what seemed like hours. They were saved why the ringing of their cell phones.  
  
"Yes?" They both said into the phone.  
  
"When?" They said in synch again.  
  
"I'll be there in 20 minutes." Yo, Francie, and Will came up just as the calls were disconnected. "Sydney, please don't tell me that you're going to leave." Francie said disappointed.  
  
"God, Francie, I'm so sorry but I have to go." Sydney said.  
  
"Let me guess some really important contract came up and you're the only one in that entire company that has to be there. This is a big night for me Sydney and I need you to be here." Francie said a little angrily.  
  
"You know that you're a thousand times more important then my work." Sydney said.  
  
"Then stay, they can wait." Francie said simply.  
  
Will came to Sydney's rescue. "Come on Francie, I'll be here with you. You know that Sydney wouldn't go unless it's really important. Hey, as far as we know, it may affect thousands of people. This deal may insure that these thousands of people and their families will be able to eat the next day. She'll try to make it back before the party ends, right?"  
  
"Yes, I'll try to make it back as soon as possible." Sydney promised.  
  
"Alright, but you are going to owe me big." Francie said grudgingly.  
  
Sydney gave her a kiss and ran out the door, waving goodbye to Will. Yo and Sark were outside saying their goodbyes.  
  
"Be careful Sark." Yon Hee was saying. "Don't take any stupid chances."  
  
"Go back inside and have some fun, I'll call you when I get back." Sark told her giving her a kiss.  
  
"I mean it Sark, come back to me alive." Yon Hee said before going inside, she didn't see Sydney in the shadows.  
  
"Would you like a ride Ms. Bristow?" Sark asked as a black jaguar convertible pulled up and the valet handed him the keys.  
  
"Do you know where I'm going?" Sydney asked.  
  
"They didn't tell you?" Sark asked.  
  
"Tell me what?"  
  
"That I'll be sitting in on the meeting tonight."  
  
"Do you have a death wish?" Sydney asked shocked. She got into the car wondering how he was going to get in without access cards or codes. They drove in silence and reached the Credit Suisse building in less then 10 minutes. They got into the building in less then five minutes, which made Sydney rethink her previous view that it was one of the most secure buildings she knew. Sark walked inside as if he knew where everything was. The highlight of the evening was seeing Sloan's face when on entering the conference room, Sark walked in after her. 


	27. A New Alliance Member

Chapter 27: A New Alliance Member  
  
"Mr. Sark!" Sloan said, his surprise, quickly turned into anger. "No one informed me that you were in the building, I would have made sure you had a better reception." Sloan said frostily narrowing his eyes. The double meaning to the statement was clear; if Sloan had known that Sark was in the building he would have made it a much harder entry. Ever the consummate professional, Sloan stood up and held out a hand. Just seconds before Sloan retracted it, Sark shook it sending him a clear message. Though Sark was in enemy territory, Sark still had the upper hand.  
  
Already seated around the table were Marshall, Jack, and Dixon. Marshall sat with his mouth open and his eyes glued to Sark. Jack looked as if having Sark sit in on a meeting was nothing out of the ordinary and Dixon looked like he was ready to pull out his gun and shoot Sark if he made the wrong move.  
  
"Mmmister Sark." Marshall stuttered in his excitement. "Nnnnow that I have you hhhere, I was hoping you would let me know how you imbedded that disk with an evolving worm program." Marshall was referring to the disk that Sark had send with instructions for Sark and Sydney's first mission together.  
  
"Marshall? Isn't it?" At Marshall's emphatic affirmative nod Sark continued. "If I told you, then I'd have to kill you." Sark said with a deadpan face.  
  
Marshal gulped and turned pale with fear.  
  
"It was a joke." Sark explained.  
  
"Oh, joke, yeah. Ha! Ha!" Marshall expelled a sigh of relief and dropped the subject.  
  
"Before I start the meeting, there is something I need to do." Sloan said with a sly smile. He pushed a button on his desk and the room was flooded with a dozen men wearing sever black suites and ties that denoted them as security personnel. "Checkmate Mr. Sark." Sloan said.  
  
"I believe the correct term is check, Arvin. Checkmate would mean that I had no more moves." Sark said devoid of fear. He stood up and changed the monitor to view surveillance camera footage. The monitor showed a dozen men tied up and gagged.  
  
"Did you really think I would come here unprotected?" Sark said glibly.  
  
"Do you think that just because you have some of my men, I'm going to let you go free? My organization doesn't cooperate with kidnappers or terrorists." Sloan replied still tasting victory.  
  
"You disappoint me Arvin, look closer." Sark magnified the picture so that a person's face filled the monitor. Arvin's reaction was immediate. He stood up and grabbed the ID of the nearest agent and looked at it. Sloan angrily threw the tag on the table, which slid within reach of Sydney. She picked it up and looked at it. Instead of the normal SD-6 written on the top of the ID, it said SD-1.  
  
Sydney was confused, why was Sark under the protection of SD-1? She looked to Sark for explanations who instead of explaining, nodded to his men giving them the signal to leave the room.  
  
"I understand that it will be difficult to set aside previous misconceptions you have about me and The Man." Sark said for the benefit of those sitting at the table. "What you know about The Man was incorrect information fed to you by the enemies of the United States. We in fact work for a different branch of the same organization." Sark's wording was brilliant. For the members that knew the truth about SD-6 it took on a different meaning then for those who still thought they were working for the CIA.  
  
There was chaos in the room; each person had their own questions that needed to be answered. Sark waited until the room was quiet again and then continued.  
  
"As you all know, due to the covertness of the SD divisions, we sometimes overlap in jurisdictions. When our two groups overlapped several months ago our division was given the information that you were the enemy and vice versa. It has since come to our knowledge that we are in fact working for the same organization." Sark silently dared Sloan to disagree, but Sloan remained silent.  
  
"We saw a video of you shooting the leader of FTL. Sydney and I were there when you made a deal with K-directorate that resulted in the death of their leader. The CIA would never sanction that kind of action." Dixon said bluntly.  
  
"You're right Mr. Dixon, the CIA wouldn't. Though I was involved with the elimination of FTL's director, Quan Li, it wasn't an execution. What the cameras didn't show was that Quan Li had given the go ahead on a mission that would release an Ebola like virus in Washington D.C. He wouldn't rescind the order forcing me to kill him allowing me to deal with his successor and cancel the mission." Sark explained.  
  
"Then how do you explain the death of Ilyich Ivankov, the head of K- Directorate?" Dixon asked believing Sark's explaination.  
  
"I went undercover as an assassin for hire when we discovered that someone within K-Directorate was about to launch a coup from within. We figured out that it was Levro Kessar, Ivankov's successor, when he approached me a week after wanting me to stage Ivankov's death. Since I didn't want to kill him myself, I hired Ivankov's bodyguard to do it. Essentially, Ivankov was already a dead man, only this way we were able to get a hold inside K-Directorate." When Sark finished, Dixon and Marshall were completely convinced. Sydney knew something was up but she remained quiet.  
  
"Now I understand why the CIA didn't respond when I called for help when were infiltrated." Dixon said shaking his head. "They must have thought it had to be an error since they knew that a mission was in progress."  
  
"To insure that something like that will never happen again, we have decided to swap one of our top operatives with one of yours."  
  
"I never agreed to anything of the sort. Contrary to your belief that you run this section, it is I who am the director and I will not let you take any of my operatives!" Sloan said angrily hitting the table. "This meeting is over!" He concluded, walking out of the conference room and into his office. Jack followed him closing the door behind him.  
  
"Sloan, what the hell is going on?" Jack demanded.  
  
"We had a surprise visit from The Man last night at an Alliance meeting." Sloan explained. "Jack, The Man is your wife, Irina Derevko."  
  
"What?" Jack said pretending to be surprised. He already knew that Irina was The Man, since Sydney's capture and release.  
  
"That's not all." Sloan said grimly, telling Jack in detail what happened at the meeting.  
  
All 10 Alliance members were seated at the conference table when Irina walked into the room.  
  
"Good evening gentleman." Said Irina sitting down in a chair that her bodyguard pulled out for her at the head of the table.  
  
"How dare you come in here!" Spluttered an Alliance member. He gestured to his bodyguard to remove her only to find that his bodyguard wasn't behind him but someone else. The other members found that their bodyguards weren't in the room either.  
  
"You all know me as The Man, but as you see, I'm a women. A woman with the means to destroy you." The ten replacement bodyguards each pulled out a gun and primed it. "But if I wanted you dead, it would have already been done. Mr. Sark!" Irina called over her shoulder.  
  
"Gentlemen, the terms of the agreement are clear. Ms. Derevko will joined the Alliance when she receives a seat as a full Alliance member as well as one other seat for the person of her choosing." He passed out legal documents for each of the members to sign.  
  
"That's outrageous, I wont stand for this!" Said an Alliance member. The man standing behind him aimed his gun at the member's head. Before he pulled the trigger, Irina put up her hand stopping him. There are presently eleven members from the original twelve and twelve sects. I don't see a problem."  
  
"But you want 2 seats, that would add up to thirteen." Said a member.  
  
"Ah yes." She nods and a member at the end of the table is shot in the head. He is removed from the table quickly and the blood and brains wiped away. "Now there are ten. I know his passing won't be a great loss since you scheduled his execution days ago for selling Rembaldi artifacts to K- Directorate, artifact in which I now have. Besides, I've already taken over SD-1 to saved you the trouble." Irina said nonchalantly.  
  
A brave member spoke up. "Though you do present a persuasive case, before I agree to your induction into the Alliance I would like to know who you'll pick for the extra seat."  
  
Another member chimed in. "I would agree to your induction into the Alliance on the condition that the members will have the right to vote on your choice for the additional seat."  
  
"That is agreeable to me only if Mr. Sark is allowed to go wherever he pleases." Irina bargained.  
  
"What do you mean? Isn't he the person you want in the second seat?" Said a confused member.  
  
"Mr. Sark isn't interested in a seat within the Alliance. He's a free agent and beholden, not even to me. He has his own resources separate from my own. Though not a member, I want cleared him to have access to other sections." Irina explained.  
  
"Why do you want to make it a condition when you know that he is already protected, none of the members would act against him knowing that his death would cause problems for all of us?" Asked a member referring to the damaging information Sark had retrieved from Milan.  
  
"Having universal access and keeping him protected are two different things. You can either let him in when he shows up or expend valuable resources fighting him." Irina explained looking at Sloan who had been silent the entire meeting.  
  
"I agree to the deal and would like to vote on your induction." Said a member thinking that Irina was being a fool for asking for a privilege that would have come anyways.  
  
Each of the members pressed a button on their chair. The vote came up unanimously in favor of Irina joining the Alliance.  
  
"Thank you gentleman, now I would like to put in Jack Bristow's name for the remaining seat."  
  
Jack interrupted Sloan's narrative of last nights meeting. "Me? She knows that I'll destroy her the minute I get the chance!"  
  
"She's up to something Jack, I wish I knew what it was." Sloan said. "Maybe she wants to throw the others off by making you their focus. Some of the members believe that you were behind her the entire way."  
  
"Me? They shouldn't underestimate her, she would never be someone's puppet." He changed the subject. "Why didn't she vote in Khasinau? He's a more logical choice." Jack asked knowing that Alexander Khasinau worked and was completely loyal to Irina.  
  
"I don't know." Sloan said thoughtfully. "The vote will be held tomorrow and I will vote for your placement in the Alliance."  
  
"Do you think that they'll vote me in?" Jack asked curious.  
  
"I've talked to 2 members who have told me that they will vote the way I will." Sloan replied. "I have a meeting with a third in an hour. Anything you want him to know?"  
  
"If I get in, I will do everything in my power to destroy her." Said Jack determinedly.  
  
"We wont be able to reach her unless we destroy Sark first." Sloan said thoughtfully.  
  
"No, Sark is too useful to us. What I've found out about him is that he has contacts everywhere. It doesn't make sense, why would Irina made it a point that she is separating herself from Sark with a warning that he is as strong as her?"  
  
"Maybe because she wants to split her resources and share only half with the Alliance?" Sloan guessed.  
  
"I don't think so, I think Irina knows what Sark's agenda is and it's not going to be to strengthen the Alliance."  
  
"You mean you think that Sark's objective is going to bring us down?" Sloan said as if it was an unbelievable thought.  
  
"If he'd wanted that, he would have made sure that no member left last nights meeting alive. He wants something else and I'm going to find what it is." Jack said darkly. 


	28. Charles Francois

Chapter 28: Charles Francois  
  
As everyone in the room sat in stunned silence at Sloan's loss of temper and exit from the room, Sark sat down in Sloan's now unoccupied seat at the head of the table.  
  
"Since, it looks like Arvin is otherwise occupied, it comes to me to explain the next mission." Sark said bringing the group's focus back to the business at hand.  
  
"Have you already picked the person for the position you spoke about earlier as a liaison between our two organization?" Dixon asked carefully avoiding Sydney's gaze.  
  
"Are you volunteering?" Sark asked hiding his surprise.  
  
"Yes, I'm interested." Dixon avoided looking at Sydney. Ever since he'd turned her in, he hadn't been able to get rid of the guilty feeling that surfaced whenever he saw her. In this dangerous business, if you didn't trust your partner one hundred percent, you would fail or worse die.  
  
"Dixon, no!" Sydney said sadly.  
  
"Hey, it's not like I'm moving to Siberia. Am I?" Dixon asked looking at Sark.  
  
"No, SD-1 headquarters are located in the U.S." Sark replied vaguely.  
  
"Ummm, excuse me, didn't Mr. Sloan say that he wasn't going to exchange any one of his agents?" Marshall asked slightly confused. "I'm pretty sure that I heard that but sometimes, I wake up from a dream and then I go through the entire day and then I wake up and find out it was all a dream. Is this one of those dreams?" Marshall asked slightly babbling and then pinching himself hard. "Ow! I guess not."  
  
Sark sent Sydney a look asking if Marshall was usually like this. She couldn't help but smile and nodded. "Dixon, we can discuss this further after the mission briefing." Sark said ending the discussion.  
  
"What about Sloan? I'm sure that he'd have a problem with you leading this briefing." Sydney reminded Sark.  
  
"I will deal with Sloan later." Sark replied not going into detail. He pressed a button to show the first picture on the monitor. It's showed an old man lying in bed hooked up to a dozen machines looking as if he was going to die any second. "This is Charles Francois. He is 95 years old and one of the richest men in France. He inherited millions from his father but he became a billionaire by buying and selling rare art on the black market. He is currently living in the U.S. being attended by the best doctors in the world. His doctors have told him that he only has a few more weeks to live and his lawyers are in the process of itemizing his possessions. In his private collection he is rumored to have Leonardo Da Vinci's missing notebooks filled with never been seen drawings, along with art confiscated by the Nazi's during WWII. Most importantly, intel has informed us that in the itemized listing of his possession Francois claims to have 2 Rembaldi notebooks." Sark spoke quickly and clearly.  
  
"Are they authentic?" Dixon asked referring to the notebooks.  
  
"That's what we'll find on this mission." Sark answered.  
  
"Why is this even our mission? Can't SD-1 do this?" Sydney belligerently asked. She was upset at Dixon's decision to leave and she directed the ill feelings toward Sark. It was Sark's fault that Dixon was given a choice to leave. She forced herself to focus and listen to the rest of the mission briefing.  
  
"Francois has no biological heirs but in his will, drafted two days ago, he states that only the one who looks like this women will inherit everything he owns." Sark clicks to get to the next picture. It was a picture of a woman who looks eerily like a slightly younger Sydney.  
  
"That looks like Sydney!" Marshall exclaimed, stating the obvious.  
  
"That's what we're counting on. Sydney's alias is Sarah Radcliff and this will be an intelligence gathering mission only. I've set up an appointment for Sydney to meet Nicholas Boyer, Francois's attorney and right hand man. Under the guise of claiming the inheritance, we will be meeting at Boyer at his office. Marshall, I will need you to monitor all calls and activity going in and out of that office. Dixon, you'll be backup."  
  
Sark gave some more details and then concluded the meeting. Sydney waited until the others left before confronting Sark.  
  
"You need help Sark." Sydney said shaking her head.  
  
Sark activated a bug killer on the button of his cuff. "I don't hold any delusions that you're Sarah. What I said and did when I was under the influence of the drug was unfortunate and when taken out of context can be easily misconstrued." Sark stated trying to explain his drug induced actions and words at the Korean military lab. "In the hospital."  
  
Sydney interrupted him. "I was under a lot of emotional stress, it will never happen again." Sydney ignored the slight rise of his left eyebrow. "There's nothing to discuss, it's over and done."  
  
"So be it. What I left out in the briefing is that Charles Francois was the son of a founding member of the group called the Seekers. I'm sure that your father told you something about them." Sark said abruptly changing his subject.  
  
"He didn't tell me much, only that they were founded in 1921 after a Rembaldi notebook regarding the Prophecy was found in Waterbury, Connecticut. Wait a second, does my father know about this mission?" Sydney asked remembering her father's warning about staying away from the Seekers.  
  
"He'll be to busy to pose a problem." Sark said cryptically, and before she could respond he ended the discussion and gave a parting shot before leaving the room. "If I remember correctly, I heard you make a promise to Ms. Calfo that you'd be returning to the opening as soon as possible." He clicked the bug killer off and exited the room.  
  
To Sydney's annoyance, Sark had said the only thing that would have made Sydney drop the subject.  
  
Sark walked down the hall and knocked on Sloan's door before entering. He was met with stunned silence. Jack and Sloan stood up as Sark closed the door.  
  
"This enmity between us is a waste of time. I can either be a great asset or a drain on your time and resources." Sark said calmly to Sloan. It sounded suspiciously similar to the speech he had made to Jack at the hospital.  
  
"What do you think you can do for me?" Talking with Jack had calmed Sloan down considerably so Sloan kept his fury carefully contained. He sat down in his leather chair and both Jack and Sark followed suit into chairs opposite him.  
  
"I came with a proposal from Irina. She knows that your status within the Alliance is perilous at best. With Irina's and Jack's backing you'd be made one of the key players." Sark said confidently, slightly changing the topic.  
  
"That is if I'm made an Alliance partner." Jack cut in stressing the word if.  
  
"As of 3:02 today, you were made a partner, tomorrow's proceedings will just be a formality." Sark said in his usual enigmatic way.  
  
"You were able to procure 5 votes?" Sloan hid his surprise well but Sark and Jack were trained to notice what others usually don't.  
  
"Four votes, Irina assumed that you'd vote in Jack's favor." Sark corrected.  
  
"More blackmail?" Jack asked not surprised since he knew first hand that Irina always made the impossible seem so easy.  
  
"Blackmail has its uses, but I find that it's easier to attract flies with honey." Sark answered with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He reached into this jacket pocket and handed the cd with the current mission briefing on it to Sloan. "I will need Sydney's help procuring a collection of priceless art and possibly two Rembaldi notebooks regarding the Prophecy." Sark finished.  
  
Jack's eyes narrowed in warning but Sark dismissed it. Sloan missing the by play, sat back in his chair and laughed. "Do you really think that I'd be stupid enough to believe that the Prophecy books exist? The entire thing was fabricated by foolish men who were paranoid that their success would be taken away by a mere women."  
  
"The Prophecy?" Jack asked playing dumb, he wanted to know how much Sloan knew.  
  
The next 20 minutes was spend discussing The Prophecy and the Seeker. An 30 minutes after that both Sark and Jack left the room satisfied, Sark because Sloan had eventually agreed to his mission and Jack because he realized that Sloan had no clue about either The Prophecy or the Seekers. 


	29. A Thin Line

Chapter 29 A Thin Line

Jack walked into the room prepared.  It had been 12 years since he'd last seen her and he'd rehearse what he was going to say to the last word.  Before he could speak Irina's voice penetrated his concentration.

"How could you let Sydney get into this mess?"  Irina said accusingly.  "You were suppose to protect her from all this."  She was pacing the room like a lioness in a cage.

"You have no right to lecture me on my failings as a parent, Irina.  I've done the best I could under the circumstances."  Jack said defensively.  His rehearsed speech was forgotten as anger took over. 

"Well it wasn't good enough!"  Irina said angrily.  She stopped her pacing to stand in front on him.  Her eyes were flashing.  

"How dare you, I raised her by myself since you were so conveniently dead."  Jack countered just as angry.  He stared into her eyes looking for some kind of apology or remorse.  He didn't find either.

"You didn't give me a choice Jack!"  Irina spat.  "You made it clear that you didn't want me in your life or Sydney's."

"I want you out of our lives."  Jack said coldly.

_"Sydney is my daughter!  I have a right to see her."  _

_"You lost all rights as her mother when you killed those agents."_

_"I told you the truth when I said that I didn't know that they were CIA, I was told that they were KGB operatives that went rogue.  By the time I found out the truth, you'd found out the truth." Irina tried to explain.  She read his blank face and knew that he didn't believe a word._

_"How convenient.  Irina you are one of the smartest women I know, I find it difficult to believe that you'd be duped into doing anything.  No, you'll never see your daughter again."  Jack said avoiding her eyes.  He wanted to believe her so much that it ached.  God help him, he still loved her so much that one look into her eyes could unravel all his defenses.      _

_ Please Jack, I'll do anything you want.  I'll turn myself in, I know that I can make a deal with the CIA.  We can work together and correct this mistake.  Don't keep my daughter from me, she's the only thing left in my life that's…." She saw his determined face and realized that her plea was futile.  She'd lost everything in the world that had mattered to her, her husband and her daughter._

_"It's too late Irina, I'm taking you in now.  I'll make sure that if they don't execute you for your crimes, you'll end up in jail until you die.  You will never see our daughter again.  As of now, you're dead; you died in a car accident.  Sydney will know her mother as a professor of literature, who loved her, not a cold-blooded KGB assassin."  _

_"I know that you won't believe anything I say but believe that I love both of you more then my life.  If my death is what you want, so be it.  Just promise me that you'll keep Sydney safe, and faraway from this lifestyle." Irina said defeated._

"If you hadn't faked your own death, I might have believed all the lies that you tried to tell me."  Jack said as he tried to hide the emotions that came to the surface.

"Oh please!"  Irina scoffed.  "You knew that I wasn't dead, I send you a letter."  

"Yes the damn letter.  I should have turned you in.  I believed that you'd turn your life around, prove to everyone and me that we'd been wrong about you."  Jack said shaking his head.  "I was a fool!"

"Jack!"  Irina said softly.  There was brightness in her eyes and bewilderment.  It wasn't until this moment that she realized that Jack had still loved her even after he'd found out about her secret life.

"All this time I thought that you hated and despised me."  Her shoulders were slightly slumped as if the realization was too much for her to bear.  "You love me."

"Loved, Irina, as in past tense.  You're like opium, an addictive drug.  Now that I know what you are… you have no power over me.  All I see now is a power hungry bitch that needs to be put to sleep."  Jack spat before walking away.

"I'm what you made me Jack."  She yelled out angrily to him before he left the room.  

"It's taken 21 years to get where I want.  I've given you a front row seat, now you'll see who I really am and what I'm capable of."  Irina said under her breath, she had a determined look on her face.  He had shown her his Achilles heel.  A smile slowly formed on her face.  "Let the games begin."   


	30. Mirage

Chapter 30 Mirage  
  
Sydney stood outside looking into the restaurant. She was oblivious to the pelt of the rain on her head and did she didn't feel the coldness that seeped from her wet clothes. She had left the party despite protests from Will that she should stay longer. She might have stayed if Francie had insisted, but Francie had only given her a slightly distracted peck on the cheek and a half-hearted goodbye.  
  
In the hour and the half that she'd been gone, the dynamics of her friendship with Francie had change. She'd never felt more the outsider then she had in the last half an hour inside the restaurant. She had always hidden a part of herself from Francie to protect her. Now Francie was shutting her out and Sydney realized how much it hurt to be on the receiving end.  
  
She felt the earlier resentment flood her again. She had been the one that wanted to introduce Taylor, the pilot that had helped on her mission to get Vaughn's antidote, to Francie. By the time she had arrived to the party, Francie and Taylor had been introduced to each other by Yo. Then she had discovered that Taylor was Yo's brother and it irked her that she hadn't been told earlier. She knew that Yo's introduction made more sense security wise and it saved her from having to partially lie to Francie as to how they met.  
  
The resentment was quickly replaced by loneliness as everyone inside burst out in laughter. Will, Francie, Taylor, and Yo were talking animatedly to each other as if they'd been friends forever. Yo looked like she belonged there, inside where it was warm and light. Sydney wondered if she'd ever feel like she fully belongs anywhere. As if by instinct she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.  
  
"The caller you have reached is unavailable at this time, please leave a message after the tone." The message said before beeping. Sydney quickly disconnected the line. It was the first time that Vaughn hadn't answered his phone when she'd needed him. She wondered where he was. He'd been released from the hospital several days ago and she hadn't talked to him since then. When she had offered to grab some coffee with him, he had refused saying that he had to go to a welcome home party.  
  
She felt a comforting presence behind her even before the umbrella sheltered her from the rain. She turned around expecting Vaughn but found an entirely different person. It was odd but she didn't feel disappointed.  
  
"You should get inside, you're getting quite wet." Sark's accented voice said softly. He saw her sad defeated look and he reached out to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"I'm cold!" Sydney said shivering. The heat emanating from his body made her realize how cold she was. Talking to Sark was better then keeping everything inside, after all, he understood her in ways that no one else could. She didn't have to pretend with him.  
  
She let him ushered her to his parked but still running car. He open the door for her, gesturing her to get in.  
  
"I'll get the seat wet." Sydney said numbly.  
  
"It's a company car." She dove into the car before he could finish. Sark closed the door and walked around the car to get into the drivers seat. He turned up the heat and then reached over toward her legs. His hand slightly brushed her left thigh before pressing the button to turn on her seat heater, which was located under her seat. He saw her shiver. "You'll warm up pretty soon."  
  
Sydney told herself that it was the seat warmers that were heating her up so quickly.  
  
Sark put the car into gear and drove into the night. They sat in silence, basking in the comfort of each other's company. He took her to a large dome building and parked in an underground garage. "On days like this I like to come here." He said turning off the car.  
  
"What is this place?" Sydney asked as an unexpected excitement filled her.  
  
"Patience Ms. Bristow." He teased her. He opened his door and got out. Moving around the front of the car quickly and opening her door, he held out his hand to help her out of the car.  
  
"I'm not moving unless you tell me where we are!" Sydney said mutinously.  
  
Sark pulled her out of the car before she could protest and she fell against him. They stood there for a few seconds looking into each other's eyes. He spoke first and stepped away from her. "I promise that it's a better experience when you're surprised. Come with me." He took her hand and led her into the building.  
  
She felt a rush of some indescribably good feeling that began where he held her hand and then it quickly infused her entire body. A laugh escaped her. She hadn't felt this carefree in a long time. He led her up a flight of stairs and paused before opening the door. He pulled off his tie and turned her around. "Close your eyes Sydney." He ordered.  
  
"What? What are you doing?" She half heartily protested. She felt the tie cover her eyes and her hand reached up and touched it though she didn't pull it off. "Sark!"  
  
"Trust me!" He said into her ear causing her to shiver. "Jesus, I'm a fool, you're still wet!" He led her inside the building and then left her.  
  
Sydney panicked. "Sark! Come back, don't leave me!" She reached up to remove the blindfold.  
  
"I'll be right back! Don't you dare remove the blindfold!" His voice was loud and slightly amplified which told her that she was in some kind of theater. He returned in less then a minute and put some clothes into her arms. "Here, put these on."  
  
Before she could make ask where she should change, he led her down a flight of stairs slightly squeezing her arm to let her know when to step. He led her through a doorway and released her. The heard the door close behind her. Sark spoke through the door. "I'll know if you take off the blindfold!"  
  
Sydney quickly took off her clothes and picked up the top layer of dry clothing that Sark had given her. It was a cotton flannel button shirt. It was a little wide in the shoulders and narrow on the body. She held it to her nose and smelled it; it smelled like Sark. She smiled and quickly pulled it on. She felt for the other piece of clothing, which turned out to be sweat pants with a drawstring on the front. It was slightly long and hugged her hips.  
  
She adjusted the loosening blindfold and called out. "Sark, I'm finished changing." A few seconds later she heard the door open and Sark came in.  
  
"Much better!" He said. He heard him moving around her and he had the feeling that he was picking up her wet clothes.  
  
A laugh escaped her; it was odd, she'd never thought of Sark doing such a domestic thing such as picking up her clothes. "Sark, you're full of surprises today. I never would have guess in a million years that you would have something flannel in your closet."  
  
"There's a lot you don't know about me." Sark said softly. He pulled the band holding up her hair and untangles her hair with his fingers. He deftly braided her hair then led her out of her changing room. He led her along for about 45 seconds and then stopped abruptly. He picked her up, one arm under her back and the other under her knees, causing her heart to speed up. She felt herself falling slightly as he set her down onto what felt like an air mattress and a pillow cradling her head. Her heart raced even faster. "Keep your eyes closed." He said as he gently lifted her head and pulled off her blindfold.  
  
She heard music. "You can open your eyes now." He told her.  
  
She opened her eyes and gasped, quickly sitting up and looking around her. What she saw was breath taking. She was in the center of a giant domed room and it was filled with the myriad of slowly changing colors of a sun set. Sark lied down next to her and pulled her back down causing her to fall onto his chest. Instead of moving off him she rested her head on the nook between his chest and shoulder and got comfortable. They sat quietly watching the sunset fade into dark and then watched as the stars brightly popped out illuminating the darkness. Then as the moon appeared, a sliver of light that grew bigger, until it became a full moon.  
  
With the full moon came a reckless and impulsive feeling for Sydney. She turned onto her side putting her hand on Sark's chest. She felt his heart beating against her ear and smiled as it slightly jumped as she began to stroke his chest. "Do you bring all your girlfriends here?" Sydney teased.  
  
"Are you my girlfriend?" He countered slightly pulling her closer. His voice was slightly lower and raspier then usual.  
  
"No, but I have a feeling that I've been wrong about you." She moved her lower body closer to him.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sark asked slightly muffled as his mouth was pressed into the top of her head.  
  
"I always thought of you as a workaholic. I beginning to think that you might be a player." She said as she lifted her leg and put it over one of his causing her body to become flush to his. His heart beat faster and she felt womanly satisfaction. She felt reckless and powerful at the same time.  
  
"I'm a player? I think you're projecting, Ms. Bristow." He said beginning to stroke her arm slowly.  
  
Sydney shivered and this time there was no mistaking it's meaning. She grabbed his distracting hand and pulled it under her arm and tucked it beneath her breast. She then put her hand back onto his chest and began her torturous stroking of his chest. "Projecting? Ha! Look at the clothes, you wear, the car that you driiiii ...ve." She drifted off as he began his own torture.  
  
Sark's thumb made small strokes gently grazing the underside of her breast. "So you think that looking nice and driving a nice car constitutes a person as a player?" He asked slightly laughing. The strokes grew bigger and bigger until it almost reached her nipple.  
  
She stopped hand before it could reach its destination. She pulled his hand away from her breast and pulled it to her stomach thinking it was safer. "Well, not just that. A Player kisses another women not his girlfriend." She said thoughtlessly. She felt him stiffen and she pressed even closer to him as a silent gesture of apology.  
  
Sark relaxed and took his revenge in a more diabolical way. His hands snuck under shirt and onto her bare skin causing her to gasp and try to pull away. She failed as the arm wrapped around her held her prisoner. She stopped resisting at his words. "Yes, a man who kisses other women when he has a girlfriend is a player." He agreed.  
  
"Other women? How many women do you kiss?" Sydney asked outraged as she pushed herself up on her left elbow so that she could look down on him.  
  
He pulled her toward him with the arm that was under her shirt and he rolled to his left pulling her over him and then finishing the roll with his arm trapped under her and with his body trapping hers. He held his upper body up with his elbows and one leg was still between her legs. She felt something hard against her upper thigh and she felt a jolt in her stomach. "Why do you persist in delving into my personal life?" He asked her seriously searching her eyes for its answer.  
  
"Why are you with me instead of your girlfriend?" Sydney asked as she felt herself losing control of the situation. It was beginning to get hard for her to concentrate. It was a long time since she'd had sex and her sexual desire was beginning to run rampant. She told herself that this was Sark pressed up against her so intimately, and instead of the thought dissipating her desire, it fueled it.  
  
"I don't have a girlfriend." He said simply. He moved slightly causing her to moan as the top of his thigh pressed against her sending waves of desire over her.  
  
"Yo!" Sydney managed to get out before another wave washed over her.  
  
"As I told you before, it's none of your business, it's between me and Yo." Sark said.  
  
The words were like getting hit in the face with cold water. Sydney pushed him away from her but wasn't fully successful. They rolled over to until Sydney was on top and Sark was holding her prisoner with one. She was able to push herself onto her elbows but no further. His words stopped her struggles.  
  
"Yo and I have an understanding. Neither of us want a committed relationship so we help each other fulfill each others needs." Sark explained. He rolled her over so that he the one on top again. Sydney didn't resist.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me that before?" She asked a little peeved.  
  
"Because it isn't your business. You should have been satisfied with my answer that I don't have a girlfriend. I've never lied to Sydney." He spoke firmly and sincerely.  
  
"You're right, I should have listened to you." Sydney said contritely.  
  
"Do I hear and apology? Someone, call a doctor, the great Ms. Bristow just apologize, she must be delusional!" Sark teased lightening the mood.  
  
Sydney raised her right hand and brought his head in for a kiss to shut him up. Sark pressed himself against her causing her to moan into his mouth. His tongue gently massaged her mouth and then retracted it to gently nibble her bottom lip. She wrapped one leg around his to pull him even closer and they rocked against each other in a slow rhythm. He pulled his face away from her and looked into her eyes. They were unfocused and filled with passion. He stopped and rolled away with a groan. He had his arm over his eyes. "We can't do this Sydney."  
  
Bereft of the heat from his body, Sydney felt chilled. She moved closer to him and tried to draw him to her. "Why not?" She asked. "We're both adults." She began to stroke his chest.  
  
"Sydney, stop!" Sark said crushing her hand and then moved it away from him.  
  
Sydney rolled away quickly until she reached the edge of the mattress. She sat up with her feet on the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs. "What's wrong with me Sark?" The question came out a little wobbly. The entire day came crashing into her consciousness, first Dixon ditching her as a partner, and then Francie replacing her with Yo, then feeling abandoned by Vaughn, now this rejection by Sark was the last straw. She felt the tears coming to her eyes and she held back the sobs that were threatening to come out.  
  
"Wrong with you? There's nothing wrong with you!" Sark said placating. He reached out to comfort but withdrew it before it touched her.  
  
"Then why don't you want me Sark?" She said as tears fell down her cheeks. She was glad that he couldn't see her face. She refused to have him see her cry again.  
  
"You have no clue what you do to me do you?" Sark said hoarsely.  
  
"Then why?" She asked biting her lip to keep her sobs from escaping.  
  
"It wouldn't be right for me to take advantage of you not when you." He was unable to finish as Sydney interrupted him.  
  
"Oh!" She said softly mistaking his meaning. "That's Ok, I understand. I know that when you see me, you're wishing it was her." She said referring to Sarah. "But it doesn't make a difference to me since I'll be wishing you were Vaughn." She started to cry.  
  
Sark grabbed her a little roughly and pulled her to him. "You are a foolish girl Sydney Bristow." He held her in his arms, trying to decide if he should comfort her or kiss her.  
  
She decided for him. She tearfully began to kiss his neck and moved up to his chin and then settled on his mouth. She attacked him purposefully and he fell under her assault. She sat straddling his body holding him prisoner with her legs. She frantically tried to unbutton his shirt until she gave up and ripped it open. The buttons flew everywhere and she could hear some of them fall onto the hard floor.  
  
Sark emitted a low growl before he held the bottom of her shirt and half ripped and pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Her bra was slightly damp and she stopped his hands before he could take it off. She kissed him passionately rubbing her covered breasts against his naked chest. This caused her bottom to graze a very sensitive part of his anatomy eliciting a groan from Sark. "Sydney!"  
  
Then suddenly she felt something vibrating. It was Sark's cell phone. "Don't answer it!" Sydney ordered. "Let it go!" Then a second later she heard her phone shrill from somewhere to her right. She groaned in frustration. The loud sound slightly echoed around the room.  
  
"Are you sure you want to answer that?" Sark asked as she moved to find her phone.  
  
"I'll be right back! We each have two minutes." She climbed off of him and listened to the sound of the phone to locate it. In her haste she answered it without checking to who it was. The voice on the phone was the equivalent to falling into a frozen lake.  
  
"Are you ok?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"Yeah." She whispered.  
  
"I'm sorry I missed your call. I went to the movies. I thought I put it on vibrate but I turned it off my accident. You know how dark the movies get. What was it that you needed talk about?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"It's ok, I'm fine now." She whispered.  
  
"Oh, yes, how was Francie's opening?" Vaughn inquired.  
  
"It was great, the mayor and some important political and business leaders showed up. I can talk to you about it later." Sydney whispered even quieter.  
  
"We really need to talk about something very important. Can we meet in 15 minutes?"  
  
"15 minutes?" She whispered stalling for something to say.  
  
"Do you need me to give you a ride home?" Sark asked coldly.  
  
Sydney looked up at him and froze.  
  
"Is that who I think it is?" Vaughn exclaimed surprise. "What are you doing with him at 2:00 in the morning?"  
  
"Look, I'll call you back." Sydney said before ending the call.  
  
"Mr. Vaughn I presume." All traces of the passionate Sark had disappeared.  
  
"Yes." Sydney said quietly. Then she had a thought and looked at him accusingly. "Yo?" She asked.  
  
"Yes, it seems that we both have elsewhere to go." Sark said. He tossed her the flannel shirt and she quickly put it on. He put on his shirt sans buttons so it still fell open revealing his abs.  
  
She wasn't sure why but she wasn't able to button her shirt. Sark brushed her hands aside and deftly buttoned the remaining buttons for her. She let out a small gasp when his knuckles grazed the inside of her breast.  
  
"Sark, I." Sydney started.  
  
"We're both adults." He said cutting her off. She gathered up her clothes and followed him out to the car.  
  
The rain pelted the windshield until all she could see was a blur. It was cold and wet again.  
  
A voice extracted her from her daydream. She was standing outside the restaurant.  
  
"You should get inside, you're getting quite wet." Sark's accented voice said softly. He saw her sad defeated look and he reached out to her. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"No." Sydney said sadly. "Not with you." She walked away. She didn't see the confusion or sadness in his eyes. She didn't allow herself the luxury of what might have been. Getting involved with Sark was playing with fire, eventually she'd be the one burned. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number.  
  
"Hello, I was hoping you would call" Vaughn said. 


	31. Unexpected Turn

Chapter 31 Unexpected Turn  
  
"Hello, Ms. Bristow, would you mind shooting that man in the leg, he had the audacity to give me dirty look." Will said doing a fairly good imitation of Sark. "How old is that guy anyway, 16?" It was early morning and Will and Sydney were chatting at their favorite coffee shop.  
  
"I'm 27, Mr. Tippin." Sark said from behind him.  
  
Will's eyes flashed a frantic message to Sydney to confirm that his ears weren't deceiving him. When she gave him a slight nod he closed his eyes as if in pain.  
  
Sydney jumped in to the rescue. "What are you doing here Sark?" She barked out taking the offensive. Ever since her vivid daydream about Sark she felt confused around him. In this case her confusion formed into anger.  
  
"What no good morning? How nice that it's stopped raining." His unusually cheery facade slightly dimmed under her glare. He turned to Will who had his face buried in his large mocha filled, bowl sized cup. "Is this how she usually is in the morning or am I special?" Sark asked sitting down without being invited.  
  
Will choked on his coffee and started coughing like a maniac. Sark, grabbing a glass of water from a waitress's tray as she walked by, offered the swiped goods to Will at the same time that Sydney handed Will a napkin.  
  
"I'm afraid that I have a talent for discomposing you Mr. Tippin." Sark said not knowing what else to say. He seemed uncomfortable, a little nervous even, all things that were the antithesis of the Sark that Sydney knew.  
  
"Yes, you do, so leave!" Sydney said glaring at Sark. She saw the confusion flash in his eyes before it was quickly hidden. She didn't like this side of Sark. Her main defense against him was his lack of human emotions, now that he was showing signs of them she was again off balance.  
  
"I was told that an offer of friendship would be accepted. My mistake." Sark replied coldly. He retreated from the table and went to the counter to order.  
  
"Am I the only one that feels like we've just entered the twilight zone?" Will asked between coughs. "Oh. OH. OOOOH!" He said as enlightenment dawned on Sark's unusual behavior. He remembered a conversation he had with Yo last night about Sark and his promise to her to try to be nice to Sark. It was hard to say no to that women. The idea was insane, it was like a rabbit trying to be friends with a lion. Not that he was a rabbit, Will thought to himself not realizing that he was speaking his though aloud.  
  
"You made a promise to be friends with Sark?" Sydney let out a little snort. "Over my dead body!" She said vehemently.  
  
"I'd rather be his friend then his enemy." Will said leaning back into his chair. He observed Sark flirting with an elderly woman at the counter making her laugh and flirt back. "Maybe Yo is right, maybe he isn't as bad as we thought."  
  
The coffee that Sydney had just sipped spewed from her lips. She quickly cleaned up the mess hoping that Sark hadn't seen it. But he had and he sent an amused look her way before leaving the café.  
  
"What did you mean by Sark isn't as bad as we thought? It wasn't that long ago that he'd had you tortured." She hissed at him.  
  
"Well yeah I guess so. But he did tell the guy who did torture me that he didn't think that I knew anything." Will said quietly. He hated to think about the time he had been kidnapped by Sark. He had almost convinced himself that it had never happened, that was until now.  
  
"I'm so sorry Will, I shouldn't have brought it up." Sydney said guiltily. The ringing of her cell saved her from having to elaborate her apology.  
  
Three hours later.  
  
"We have a tail." Sark said into the transmitter in his ear as he checked out his rear view mirror.  
  
"Should I take them out?" Asked Dixon. Dixon had been following Sark and Sydney on their way to the appointment with Nicholas Boyer, the right hand man of Charles Francois, the son of a founding member of the Seekers. Boyer had called rescheduling the meeting for two days earlier then the original scheduled time and thereby only giving them an hour notice.  
  
They were on the highway, about 10 minutes away from Boyer's office building when Sark noticed their tail.  
  
"No, run the license plate and find out who it is." Sark ordered. "Marshall, what's your status?"  
  
"Testing one, two, I love to say that. Uh, for a lawyer, Mr. Boyer must be insanely paranoid or he has something to hide because his office is as secure as SD-6. We're only able to tap into their security system for 5 seconds at a time. They're alternating between 10 different systems in a random order. It's like playing that gofer game where you're suppose to hit the gofer when it pops up."  
  
"Marshall, are you telling me that we don't have audio or visual?" Sark interrupted.  
  
"That would be an affirmative, I mean it's affirmative that we do not have audio or visual." Marshall replied.  
  
"And when are we going to have it?" Sark asked the temperature of his voice dropping to sub zero. His displeasure was evident.  
  
"We wont, at least not today. It will take months to hack into their system." Marshall's voice was unnaturally quiet and serious.  
  
"Quinn?" Sark asked. Michael Quinn was the head of SD-1's security systems and one of Sark's most trusted agents.  
  
"Boyer is using a similar system to what SD-1 is using. Marshall is right Sir, it will take months to hack into their system and there is a 93.6% chance that we'll be detected before we find a way in." Quinn said reaffirming Marshall's verdict. "I'm surprised that he was able to get in at all. One other thing Sir, once you and Agent Bristow are inside the building, we won't be able to contact you without them knowing about it. If I had prior notice I would have developed a device that would piggy back off of another signal so that they couldn't trace it to you."  
  
"Is there any good news?" Sark asked rhetorically. "Once Sydney and I are inside the building we will be on radio silence unless Marshall or Quinn can find a way into their security system."  
  
"The van that's tailing you is part of Boyer's security detail." Dixon voice interrupted the tense silence that had followed Sark's comment.  
  
Sydney who had been silent during this entire time spoke up after turning off the communicator in her ear. "Sark, do you think that Boyer has plans to." She was interrupted as the car swerved, narrowly missing the car that had screeched to a halt in front of them. Two motorcycles appeared on both sides of the car and bullets rang out and bounced off the bulletproof glass. A bullet hit the car's tire causing the car to spin out onto the shoulder of the highway. It turned over twice before it came to a stop.  
  
Once the car stopped Sark looked over at Sydney who was unconscious. He released himself from his seatbelt as quickly as he could and before he could reach Sydney, a figure opened her side of the door and pulled her out of the car. Then his door opened and a figure pulled him out as well. He started to resist but the voice stopped him.  
  
"You'll be safe in a few more minute Mr. King." Said the man helping Sark to a nearby van.  
  
Sark realized that they were still in the middle of a gunfight. "Who are you?" He asked even though he had already knew that the man was Brian Casey, the head of security for Boyer and Associates. The man was ex CIA Special Forces, who had left at the peak of his career and virtually disappeared. It wasn't until they did a in dept check on Boyer that Casey came into the scene.  
  
"Explanations must wait, I need to get you and Mrs. Radcliff to safety." Casey said before speaking into the communicator in his ear. "Franklin, we're ready for the lift." A few seconds later the sound of a helicopter drowned out the gunfire. "Give me cover and then get out of here." Ordered Casey. Sark picked up the still unconscious Sydney and made his way toward the helicopter as Casey followed covering him.  
  
Once they were in the helicopter, it took off. "What about your men?" Sark asked getting into his alias of Mr. Aiden King, the lawyer of Sarah Radcliff, potential heir to Charles Francois's estate. "What is going on? Are you taking us to the hospital? Sarah needs a doctor."  
  
"My men will take care of the attackers who are after Ms. Radcliff. She is safe for now." Casey explained.  
  
Sark had layed Sydney down in a way so that her head was in his lap. Sark examined the cut on her temple, it had stopped bleeding but the bruising around it looked very bad. He didn't like the fact that Sydney hadn't woken up yet. "I don't understand, why would anyone want to attack her?"  
  
"Mr. Boyer will be able to answer all your questions once we get to the mansion." Casey deflected. 


	32. Debris

Chapter 32:  Debris

At SD-6 

"What happened?  Where's Sydney?"  Jack asked hiding his growing concern behind business-like inquiry.

"We were ambushed on our way to Boyer's office."  Dixon stated unable to look Jack in the eyes.  It had happened so quickly that he still didn't exactly know what happened.

"Where was the back up?" Jack asked wondering how Sark could ever have allowed such a thing to happen.

"They were waiting for us at Boyer's office.  No one could have anticipated that attack.  The attack was deliberate and well planned out.  Boyer only gave us an hour notice to get to the office…"

Marshall careened around the corner and into the hallway.  He wasn't able to stop quickly enough and he slammed into Jack.  Jack grabbed Marshall before he could fall onto the ground.  "Mr. Bristow, Dixon…I found them…Sydney and Sark."  Marshall spluttered out waving a disk in the air.

Jack who still had Marshall's arm, shoved him into the nearest conference room.  Dixon followed.  "Tell me what happened!"  Jack ordered Marshall.

"I wanted to go over the audio feed just before the car crashed to see find out what happened."  Marshall tried to explain.

"What car crash?  I thought it was an ambush?"  Jack asked.  He was beginning to get the pained look that always happened when Marshall was around.

"There was an ambush, then there was a car crash…"  Marshall said getting very uncomfortable under Jack's stare.

"The beginning.  Start at the beginning."  Jack ordered pinching the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger and taking deep breaths to avoid exploding.

"We were on our way to Boyer and Associates when Sark noticed that we had a tail.  Then I had to explain why we weren't able to break into their security system and then Quinn explained that it was virtually impossible to break in…"  Marshall stressed the name of Quinn making his dislike of the Agent evident.

"Marshall!"  Jack growled out warned him that his patience running out.

"Well, then we find out that it's Boyer's security guys that are tailing us and then bam!  Sydney and Sark was attacked."  Marshall said hitting his hand against the table for effect.

"So it was Boyer that's responsible for the attack."  Jack said eyes dangerously gleaming the promise of retribution.

"Well I thought so at first but then the audio wouldn't make sense.  Sark communicator was still active after they were taken.  We've been receiving a audio feed until about 5 minutes ago."  Marshall played the audio that had been recorded.  They listen to Sark and Syndey's rescue and the helicopter ride.  Marshall had filtered out the helicopter noise so that they could hear what was being said.  

Jack sat back in his chair and listen to the doctor's words as he greeting the arrival of the helicopter.  

"What happened?"  A voice asked a little out of breath as if he was running. 

_"These two have been in a car accident."  Another voice said._

_"How bad is she?"  Sark's voice asked._

_"Has she been unconscious the entire time?"  The first voice asked?_

_"I tried to wake her she didn't respond."  Sark's voice responded.  "Is she going to be ok?"_

_"I'm going to run a few test before I can make an assessment."  The first voice said not answering._

_"Can I speak to you a moment?"  Sark asked._

_"What is it Mr. King?" The second voice, obviously not the doctor asked._

_"I would like to know the name of the man who saved me and Sarah."_

_"It's Casey, Brian Casey."  Casey said. There was a slight pause and the slight sound of two hands meeting in what would most likely be a handshake._

_"Thank you Mr. Casey, there aren't many people I would trust with my life or Sarah's, if there is anything I can do for you in the future…" Sark said in gratitude._

_"I was only doing my job."  Mr. Casey said.  "I know that you have a lot of questions you want to ask but I'm not at liberty to answer them.  Please have Dr. Hawthorne take a look at you and then Mr. Boyer will answer any questions you have."_

_"Wait, one more question."  Sark said raising his voice slightly as if Mr. Casey had moved away.  "How safe are we here?"_

_"This building is safer then the inner sanctum of the White House."  Casey said._

_"Sir, the doctor is ready for you now, please come inside the house." A women's voice said.   _

The audio ended.

"Sark must have turned off the communicator."  Marshall explained the ending of the audio feed.

"Should we send in a retrieval team?"  Dixon asked.

"No, Sark made it a point to let us know that he trusts Casey.   They're safe where they are.  Dixon, I want you to find out everything you can on the people behind the ambush."

"Don't you want me to do a search on Brian Casey?" Dixon asked.

"No, know everything I need to know about him."  Jack said cryptically standing up and leaving the room.  


	33. A New Allie

Chapter 33:  A New Allie

At the Francois Mansion 

"All we can do is wait."  Dr. Hawthorne said unable to hide his worry from Sark. 

"Explain to me what's wrong with her?"  Sark demanded for the third time in 5 minutes.  He didn't like the defeated look in the doctor's eyes.  Doctors should never look worried; he would take a doctor with a god complex any day.

"As I said before, the injury on her head caused an internal bruise on a delicate part of her brain.  We won't know the extent of the damage until she wakes up, if she wakes up."  Hawthorne explained patiently, he had been given his orders.  He was to provide his patients with whatever he or she asked for, even if one of them was quickly wearing out his patience.

"I want to see the CAT scan."  Sark ordered running a hand through his already messed up hair.  He had ignored all requests to sit down or tidy himself up.    

"If you'd like" Dr. Hawthorn said humoring him.  He handed Sydney's file to Sark.

Sark pulled out the results of the scan from the folder and studued it intently.  He paled slightly.  "Get me Dr. Raymond Vladke."

"Vladke?  Mr. King, I don't think that the most premier neurosurgeon in the world would drop everything and rush here to treat a patient with…" Dr. Hawthorne wasn't able to finish his sentence.  A man's entrance into the room interrupted his train of thought.

The man, attractive in business attire, walked up to Sark and held out his hand.  "Mr. Aiden King I presume."

"And you must be Nicholas Boyer." said Sark shaking Boyer's hand.  Both men sized each other up and came to a mutual agreement that each were a force to be reckoned with. 

"I understand that this has been very difficult for you and I'm sure that Dr. Hawthorne is doing everything he can to help Ms. Radcliff."  Boyer said leading Sark away from the doctor and out of the room.

"It's not good enough.  She needs a neurosurgeon."  Sark insisted.  He didn't like the fact that while he was under the alias of Aiden King, he was unable to access his vast resources and contacts.  As Sark he could have Dr. Vladke shipped in willing or unwilling in less then 2 hours but as Aiden King, all he could do was wait and let others handle it.

"I will see what we can do.  The doctor told me that you need to rest and get off your sprained ankle for it to heal faster."  Boyer said looking pointedly at Sark's slight limp.

"I'm fine, I need to make sure that Sarah is getting the best treatment she can."  Sark said getting into his alias as a man worried for a friend and client. 

"No, what you need is food and sleep.  I'll take care of the rest."  Boyer said ushering Sark into a large room.  "Ms. Radcliff is in the room next to you and that door connects the two rooms together.  If you cannot adhere to the doctor's orders to sleep, you can at least sit next to Ms. Radcliff and ice your ankle.  There are some clean clothes your size in the closet and the bathroom is through that door."  Boyer said giving Sark the brief tour of the large suite like room.

"I have a lot of questions I need answers to."  Sark said to Boyer's back as Boyer was leaving the room.

"Once, you have changed and visited Ms. Radcliff, you'll find me in the study.  It's on the other side of Ms. King's room."  Boyer left the room and shut the door behind him.

Sark walked toward the door that separated Sydney's room and his.  He had his hand on the doorknob before he changed his mind.  He realized the he was a mess.  There was still some of Sydney's blood on his shirt and his muscles were screaming in pain.  He sighed and walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.  He quickly searched the room for bugs or cameras and didn't find anything.  

Sark glanced at himself in the mirror.  His eyes were bloodshot his hair looked wild and out of place.  He stroked his face with his right hand and as he had expected it was still smooth and free of stubble.  There were a few scratches here and there but nothing bad.  

He unbuttoned his shirt and winced when he shrugged off his shirt, his muscles were aching with pain.  There was a bruise forming on the top of his left shoulder and few little cuts on his arms and hands.  His upper body was hairless and the lines of his abs were etched symmetrically on his torso.  

He began to unbuckle his belt when he noticed the slightly opened window in the bathroom.  Instinctively he knew that he had to check it out.  He stepped on the toilet seat to boost himself up to the window.  It was easy to open.  He pulled himself up allowing the upper half of his body to hang outside.  There was a slight ledge under the window.  They were on the third floor of the 6-floored mansion.  He lowered himself on the ledge carefully, ignoring the pain in his arms.  

He saw the small camera that was cleverly camouflaged protruding from the side of the mansion right outside of Sydney's room window.  It was slowly moving from side to side and up and down and in a few seconds he would be revealed on the security monitor.  He quickly scaled the wall toward the camera and quickly unfastened the watch on his wrist.  He strategically used the watchband to immobilize the camera.  He then slid under the camera and toward the library on the other side of Sydney's room.

He could hear Boyer's voice, as he got closer to the window.

"Damn it!  How could this have happened?  After years of searching we finally find her only to have led the Seekers right to her as well!  This is unacceptable!"  Boyer was saying.

"This only proves what we suspected, there is a mole within the organization." said Casey.

"I want whoever it is to be found immediately and deposed of, do whatever it takes.  Is this mansion compromised?"  Boyer asked abruptly realizing another danger.

"No, the emergency location was originally the townhouse in D.C., I changed it when I realized that we had a mole.  The only person that knows that I took her here is the helo pilot and you.  I've already eliminated him as the mole."  Casey said.

There was a knock on the door and someone came in.

"Doctor, any updates on Ms. Radcliff's prognosis?" asked Boyer.

"No, I'm concerned that she's still unconscious.  The CAT scan reveals that there is some damage to the hippocampus complex.  We won't know the extent of the damage until she wakes up."  Dr. Hawthorne answered.

"What is the worst case scenario?"  Boyer asked.

"The worst case is that she lapses into a coma and never wakes up.  But the most likely scenario is that she will have some memory loss when she awakens."

"Damn it!  Are you telling me that she might wake up with no memory of who she is?"  Boyer asked. 

"That could be a good thing." said Casey.  "If she can't remember who she is, there will be no problem keeping her here."

"She'll be defenseless!"  Boyer exploded, unable to see the good in the situation.

"We'll keep her safe."  Casey insisted.    

"Will we be able to get a hold of that doctor that Mr. King wanted?" Boyer asked abruptly changing the subject.

"Dr. Vladke?" asked Hawthorne.

"Yes.  Will we be able to procure him?"  Boyer asked.

"It'll be a risk.  He's too high profile and if he is a Seeker then he'll have proof that she's the One."  Hawthorne said.

"So it's proven then?"  Boyer asked in awe.

"Not only is she the splitting image of the One, she meets every criteria that the Prophecy lists.  Her physiology is truly unique."  Hawthorne said excitedly.

Sark heard a noise from below.  There was a security guard walking below him.  He stayed until the guard went around a corner and then he slowly made his way back to the window in his bathroom and climbed in but not before he retrieved his watch from the security camera.   

Once inside, he removed the rest of his clothes and stepped into the shower.  He allowed the hot water to rhythmically beat the top of his head until the heat of it relaxed his entire body.   

Sark's mind was racing with all the new information.  Boyer wasn't a Seeker as he had previously believed but he had accidentally led the Seekers to Sydney.  Boyer knew about the Prophecy but he was working for Charles Francois, the son of one of the found members of the Seekers.  There were so many pieces that weren't fitting together.  

The Seekers.  He felt the hatred rising from deep inside of him threatening to overwhelm him.  He placed both of his hands against the shower wall and pushed against it as if doing so would push back the painful memories that usually lay buried within his subconscious.  Those soul destroying memories that compelled him into devoting his life to finding every last member and destroying them, fought to the surface.

_"Promise me!  Promise me that they will pay for what they did to our baby!"_

"I promise, whatever it takes, I promise!"  Sark vowed. 


	34. Sleeping Beauty Wakes

Chapter 34: Sleeping Beauty Wakes  
  
The slight movement on the bed jerked Sark awake. It took him a moment to realize that he had laid his head down on Sydney's bed and fallen asleep. His eyes wandered to Sydney's face looked into a pair of eyes that were very much open. He was further surprised when she gave him a tentative smile and said, "Hello."  
  
"You're awake!" Sark said stating the obvious. He looked down realizing that he was holding her hand. Releasing her hand quickly he wondered why she had permitted such an intimacy. She must have just woken up.  
  
Sark tried to stand but was stopped by Sydney, who grabbed his hand, forcing him to stay in place.  
  
"Please, don't go!" Sydney pleaded. There was panicked confusion in her eyes.  
  
It was the please that alerted Sark that something was seriously wrong. 'Please' was not included in her vocabulary when it came to him. It also wasn't like Sydney to allow her emotions to show openly, she'd always been so guarded around him.  
  
"Please, just sit with me for a while." Sydney requested pulling him closer to her. She winced at the pain that shot through her head and body at her exertion of force.  
  
"Don't move, the pain will recede in a few minutes. Sydney, do you remember what happened?" Sark asked accidentally allowing her real name to slip out.  
  
"Sy.dney, Sydney." Sydney repeated testing out the name as if for the first time in her life.  
  
"What do you remember?" Sark asked firmly. He realized that he only had a few minutes alone with her before Dr. Hawthorne would be notified that Sydney was awake. If Sydney had lost parts of her memory then there were going to be a lot of problems. He pressed a little device in his pocket to block out the cameras and any listening devices within the room.  
  
Sydney looked like she was about to cry. Fear and panic became more prominent in her face. "I..it..I don't remember.it's blank, I can't remember anything!" She held onto his hand tightly as if afraid that he would disappear if she let go.  
  
Sark realized that the situation was worse then he'd predicted. This was the last thing he needed right now. "You hit your head; it's natural that you won't remember everything." He said distractedly, quickly planning what he was going to do.  
  
Sydney was confused at Sark's coldness but she dismissed it as something came into focus. "Bristow! Sydney Bristow, that's my name!" She cried out excitedly. When she saw the lack of expression on his face she faltered. "Isn't it?  
  
"Sarah Radcliff." Sark said clearing his throat. "Your name is Sarah Radcliff." Said Sark deciding that maintaining their cover was more important then getting Sydney's memories back, at least for the moment.  
  
"Sarah, the why did you call me Sydney?" Sydney asked confused.  
  
"Sydney is my nickname for you." Sark explained. He knew that it was going to be very difficult getting Sydney to remember the truth when everyone would be feeding her information based on her alias of Sarah Radcliff. He was going to bank on the fact that the amnesia was temporary and her memories would return without prompting. There were cameras everywhere including the room they were currently occupying. He was going to have to walk a fine line in providing enough information to Sydney but not giving enough to blow their cover.  
  
"Oh!" She breathed happily. She quirked her head to the side and gave him a breathtaking smile. "Are we close?" She asked inquisitively, she felt a connection to him and he had been holding her hand when she had woken up.  
  
"Close?" Sark repeated not knowing what to say. She was flirting with him! Sydney Bristow, the agent that would profess her hatred of him one moment, then pretend to be his friend the next, and then ignore his existence until it suited her needs, was coming on to him. Sark immediately raised his guard, the last time this had happened, he had been injected with a mind altering virus.  
  
"You were holding my hand when I woke up, are we you know." Sydney said blushing. She was as easy to read as a billboard, the hopeful yearning look on her face was clear and unfeigned.  
  
"I'm your lawyer." Sark said thrown off balance at the question and her evident trust in him. He realized that he could use it to his advantage.  
  
"Oh!" Sydney exclaimed disappointment showing clearly on her face.  
  
"But we're close friends." Sark said quickly stressing the word close. If he was going to make this work, he had to make sure that Sydney trusted him and only him.  
  
Sydney smiled. Then the smile faded as she realized that she didn't know his name.  
  
"Aiden, Aiden King." Sark said reading her expression.  
  
"And you're British?"  
  
"When it suites me." Sark answered teasing her.  
  
"Do I like you?" She retorted in response to the teasing.  
  
"Depends on what day you ask." He replied half truthfully.  
  
"And do I have a nickname for you?" Sydney flirted.  
  
"Sark, your nickname for me is Sark." He flirted back ignoring the internal warning bells that were ringing madly. He knew that he would pay for it once Sydney's memories returned. He rationalized it as his ploy to get her to trust him implicitly.  
  
"Sark. I like it. It suits you." She complimented.  
  
"I am glad that you approve." Sark said sarcastically as his mouth curved into his usual smirk.  
  
Sydney's eyes widened as images of Sark smirking flashed through her consciousness. Then as quickly as they came, they disappeared. She groaned frustrated and rubbed her temples. "I remember seeing you before but the images came so fast. I feel like my head is going to explode!"  
  
She closed her eyes and the lines formed above her nose alerted Sark that she was in intense pain. She looked so vulnerable and helpless that he had to look away. He backed away quietly and his instincts told him to leave the room. He was halfway to the door when she called out his name.  
  
"Sark!"  
  
"Yes, Sydney." He didn't turn around.  
  
"Stay with me, I feel safe with you're here." The request was simple, direct, and devoid of all artifice.  
  
It made a direct hit to Sark's conscience. For the first time in years Sark was going to do something he didn't want to do. He was going to force Sydney to remember all the pain and complexities of her current life. She was going to have to relive every atrocity that had happened to her as her memories returned. He was going to teach her to hide her emotions until even he wouldn't be able to see them.  
  
Sark turned to look at her before delivering his first lesson. "You shouldn't feel safe with me, you're not safe anywhere. Don't trust anyone Sydney, not even me!" Sark left before she would reply. 


	35. Sydney 101

Chapter 35: Sydney 101  
  
"Mr. King, it is very important that you don't over load her with information." Dr. Hawthorne instructed Sark. "She seems to be remembering bits and pieces but is unable to process the information because there is just too much of it. She's in a delicate stage and she needs an emotional support. What she needs most is a confidant, a person she can talk to, and more importantly a person she trusts to tell her which of her memories are real or dreams and fantasies. I know that it's difficult to see her like this but you must be gentle with her and not push her too hard."  
  
"I'll try to do what I can but I need you to remove all cameras and listening devices from her room." Sark demanded.  
  
The doctor was smart enough not to deny the equipment's existence. "I'll see what I can do but it's there for Ms. Radcliff's protection."  
  
"She may protect her but it doesn't make her feel safe. I don't know how but she senses them, she always could." Sark explained giving Dr. Hawthorne a viable reason to remove the monitoring equipment.  
  
"It will be done." Dr. Hawthorne promised. He decided that Sark would know soon enough that Sydney had already located and disabled all equipment from the room. It was a matter of not reinstalling them. Dr. Hawthorne left Sark's room satisfied; he'd made it clear to Sark what needed to be done.  
  
Once he was alone, Sark opened the connecting door separating Sydney's and his room and immediately noticed the empty bed. But he sensed her presence in the room so he closed the door behind him and did a quick search of the room. He found her huddled in a dark corner of the room on other side of the bed with monitoring equipment of various sizes in a pile in front of her. She was unsuccessfully trying to wipe away the evidence of tears from her face.  
  
"Who am I Sark? What am I?" Sydney asked staring vacantly at Sark's shoes.  
  
Sark crouched down and lifted her chin so that she was forced to look into his eyes. "You're Sydney, an American citizen who loves her country very much. And the Sydney I know would never be caught dead hiding in a corner crying." Sark stood up and pulled her up with him. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.  
  
His words weren't quite what Sydney wanted to hear but it wasn't the sugar coated information she'd received from everyone else. "Thanks." Sydney mumbled taking the handkerchief and using it to dry her tear stained face. She then held it to her nose and blew into it. After which she tried handing it back to Sark who raised one eyebrow slightly but made no motion to take if from her.  
  
"Keep it" Sark said dryly.  
  
Sydney half hiccupped and half laughed at Sark's lack of expression that spoke volumes. "I'm glad you came back." She told him softly.  
  
"Why would I not?" Sark asked knowing full well why she had that impression.  
  
"I don't know maybe it was the 'don't trust anyone, not even me'." Sydney said mimicking Sark's accent to the tee.  
  
"Blame it on the lack of sleep." Sark said shrugging.  
  
"No, you meant every word." Sydney contradicted him. "You told me not to trust you or anyone but I have to trust someone. I can't do it by myself."  
  
"You should have more faith in yourself." Sark said so low that Sydney almost didn't hear him.  
  
"It's not a matter of faith; it's a matter of what to believe. I remember things but then I remember other things and they contradict each other so I don't know what to believe. It's all so confusing. For instance, I remember being a blond nightclub singer but then I remember working at a bank and my hair changes to dozens of different colors. The memories, they just don't make sense." Sydney paused slightly as if afraid to continue. "Sark, I know how to do things."  
  
"Things?" Sark repeated questioningly keeping his face expressionless.  
  
Sydney nudged the electronic equipment at her feet with her right foot. "How did I know how to disable those? How did I even know that they were there? Why is it every time someone comes into the room the first thing I think of is how to escape? Everyone looks at me as if they're afraid of me, everyone but you. I feel like they all want something from me but I don't know what it is. Sark, I thief?" Sydney asked. The last question came as a non sequitur throwing Sark.  
  
"A thief?" Sark spit out incredulous. "You think that you're a thief?"  
  
Sydney eyes lit up with hope when she saw his reaction. "I'm not a thief?"  
  
"Not the way you are thinking. You have taken things; in fact you have taken things from me but.." He stopped when he noticed that she was more confused then before. "You are many things Sydney, but you are not a thief."  
  
Sydney sighed relieved. "What things am I then?"  
  
"You are loyal and honest." Sark said the first adjectives that came to mind.  
  
"You make me sound like a dog!" Sydney said scrunching up her face comically.  
  
"Only if I had added obedient but obedience or following orders are not part of the Sydney package." Sark retorted.  
  
"What else am I?" Sydney said smiling beguilingly.  
  
"Fishing for compliments?" Sark smirked  
  
"Are you going to bite?" Sydney teased.  
  
"I have been known to bite." Sark replied stressing the word bite, giving it another meaning.  
  
"Then yes, I'm throwing out a lure." Sydney said playing off the double entendre.  
  
"You are quite attractive." Sark acquiesced.  
  
"Just attractive?" Sydney said pouting her vanity peaked.  
  
"People gravitate toward you. It could be the smile." Sark clarified.  
  
"You mean this smile?" Sydney said smiling.  
  
"You are smart, not just the book learned kind but the think fast on your feet kind of smart." Sark continued.  
  
"The first compliment was better, unless you like brainiacs." Sydney prompted expecting more.  
  
"It wasn't meant to be a compliment, just fact." Sark stated enjoying himself. He had never seen Sydney's vain side.  
  
"You can compliment me you know." Sydney said playing on the word compliment.  
  
"I don't think we are a good fit." Sark said rising to the bait.  
  
"So it comes down to the issue of size?" She said naughtily allowing her eyes to fall down below his belt.  
  
Sark's eyes flashed responding along with other parts of him. This was the Sydney he knew, always trying to get the upper hand. He knew it was time to really show Sydney what she was made of.  
  
He sent a roundhouse kick to her head.  
  
Sydney leaped back quickly, self preservation kicking in. She looked at him in shock. "I meant it as good thing!" She gasped.  
  
He tried to punch her but she deflected, rolling away from the punch. He followed with a serious of kicks and punches slowly at first and then faster. Right kick, left kick, back kick, right elbow, right punch, right upper, left punch. Sydney let her instincts take over. She deflected each kick and punch until she felt safe enough to go on the offensive. Block, right kick, block kick. She smiled at the adrenaline rush. She felt so alive that she started laughing, exhilarated.  
  
It was a dance, a dangerous one, but still beautiful. Sark wasn't laughing but Sydney knew he was enjoying this encounter as much as she was.  
  
"This isn't a game Sydney. Don't hold back." Sark instructed seriously.  
  
"Yeah, as if you are really going to hit me." Sydney scoffed.  
  
Sark responded with a well aimed kick to her stomach which knocked her onto the bed.  
  
Sydney barely had time to roll to the side before Sark punched down missing her face by inches. She hit him with a pillow followed by a punch that connected to his face. She was horrified, her enjoyment faded the realization that he was really trying to hit her. The fear began to grow in her stomach giving her the edge she needed and anger became her fuel.  
  
She hated him. She hating him for making her feel like this. He wanted her to hit him did he, she'll show him. Sydney thought angrily. She gave him everything she had.  
  
When she felt herself growing tired, she held a hand up to her head feigning dizziness. It worked and Sark stopped his assault. She used that time to hit him with a chair which shattered sending Sark sprawling onto the ground.  
  
Instead of being angry Sark turned over and wiped the blood from the side of his mouth and laughed. "Now that is the Sydney I know and want." He said.  
  
Sydney looked horrified and shell shocked. She looked at her hands as if they had blood on them. All her anger melted away until self loathing and fear was all that was left. "I'm not her, I don't want to be her." She said shaking her head almost childishly.  
  
"You don't have a choice, it's a part of who you are, and it has saved your life more then you can count." Sark said getting up from the floor.  
  
"Then I'd rather die!" She said vehemently crossing her arms in front of herself in a defensive gesture.  
  
"Then you are a stupid fool." Sark said with more emotion then he liked.  
  
"Rather a stupid fool then a killer!" Sydney retorted stubbornly.  
  
"There are worst things out there then killers Sydney, the sooner you realize that the safer we all will be." Sark said cryptically.  
  
"Get out!" Sydney ordered.  
  
"Look Sydney." Sark said gently realizing that maybe he had pushed her a little too hard.  
  
"My name is Sarah, your Sydney doesn't exist anymore! Now get out!" She ordered again this time her voice rose an octave higher perilously close to breaking.  
  
Instead of leaving, Sark walked closer to Sydney. She backed away from him shaking her head. Tears began flowing from her eyes.  
  
"Why? Why is it so important that I be her? I don't want to remember anymore. I'm safe now.I'm safe, Dr. Hawkins promised. And as long as I don't remember, I'm safe." She began to sob.  
  
"Stop it Sydney." Sark commanded wanting to tell her that the full brutal truth. She was a vital part of the world outside and it was a matter of time before reality found her whether she stayed here at the mansion or not. Why did she have to cry?  
  
"I can't. please don't make me." She said not only referring to the crying but her acceptance of who she was or used to be.  
  
Every instinct Sark possessed, told him to leave the room. But he was drawn in by the need in Sydney's eyes. He couldn't leave her alone, not like this. She looked so defeated; he had felt defeated like that once and understood it. Damn her for making him remember, making him feel.human. He did the only thing he could do; he grabbed her and kissed her roughly. He couldn't see her eyes anymore and he could convince himself that what all he was feeling was lust alone.  
  
Sydney welcomed the kiss and kissed back just as hard as he was kissing her. She pushed against him trying to get closer.  
  
Just as abruptly as he'd begun kissing her, he pushed her away. "No! I can't do this." He said leaving the room but not before she saw the look in his eyes. Fear.  
  
Why would Sark be afraid of her? Sydney wondered. Was he afraid like the others were afraid? What kind of monster was she that she invoked fear in everyone? She didn't want to think about it anymore. She closed her eyes trying to block everything out.  
  
My name is Sarah, I am a good person and I don't do bad things. My name is Sarah, I am a good person and I don't do bad things. Sydney repeated silently in her head. But it wasn't enough to block out the images of fighting, guns, and explosions that flooded her conscience. 


	36. A Parent's Bond

Chapter 36: A Parent's Bond  
  
Jack Bristow woke abruptly, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Sydney was in pain. He didn't know how he knew but he just knew.  
  
Jack's cell phone rang interrupting his train of thought.  
  
The number on the ID wasn't one he recognized. He let it ring three times before he followed his instincts to answer it.  
  
"Something is wrong with Sydney." Irina said urgently getting to the point.  
  
"How did you get this number?" Jack asked annoyed at the thought that Irina had more information about Sydney then he did.  
  
"Our daughter is in trouble and you want to argue about the fact that I have your cell number?" Irina asked bitterly. She wondered if Jack would ever put family first.  
  
"What happened? Where is she?" Jack asked ignoring the impulse to tell Irina his feelings regarding her lacking skills as a mother.  
  
There was a small pause. "I don't know. I just know that something bad is happening to her. I can just feel it. You must have felt it too." Irina said softly.  
  
"How did you know I." Jack didn't complete the sentence. Irina had tricked him into revealing that he too had felt that Sydney was in pain. "Why did you call me Irina and don't tell me it's because of some nonexistent motherly bond you have with Sydney?" Jack demanded suspiciously.  
  
Irina sighed. "I have a plan to get to Sydney but I need your help."  
  
"Need my help?" Jack asked incredulously. Irina never asked for help, demanded it maybe but never asked for it.  
  
"If you don't want to help me, I can do it without you!" Irina said angrily, she knew it was a mistake to call him.  
  
"I want to help; I was just surprised that you needed anyone's help." Jack said quietly. "So what is your plan?"  
  
"Since Sydney's alias, Sarah Radcliff is an orphan; we cannot pose as her parents. However, we can pose as Sark's alias Aiden King's parents." Irina proposed.  
  
"So we go to the police and fill out a missing person's report and wait until the people who have Sydney brings us in." Jack concluded.  
  
"It'll be risky since we may also attract the Seekers as well." Irina inputted.  
  
"We'll set a trap for them and then interrogate them into giving us information about the Seekers." Jack said strategically. "There may be a problem."  
  
"What?" Irina asked.  
  
"The head of Boyer's security is Brian Casey. He knows I'm CIA since I personally groomed him to be one of the best operatives the CIA has ever known." Jack said.  
  
"Are you telling me that the CIA has a man inside Boyer's organization?" Irina asked surprised. Her intel hadn't informed her of this.  
  
"No, Casey left the Agency several years ago. Before he left, he told me that he'd found a cause, a good cause, something worth living and dying for. Then he disappeared and even I couldn't find him." Jack said a little sadly.  
  
"He was like the son you never had wasn't he?" Irina asked perceptively.  
  
"With a daughter like Sydney, who needs a son?" Jack said avoiding the question.  
  
"So this Casey, he knows that Sydney's alias is a cover?" Irina asked already knowing the answer.  
  
"Yes, I've been receiving encrypted e-mails from him telling me Sydney's progress. He warned me to stay away for Sydney's safety.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me that you had information about Sydney?" Irina asked angrily.  
  
"And why should I tell you?" Jack said a little defensively.  
  
"I'm her mother Jack! She's the reason I wake up every morning, the reason why I worked." Irina stopped abruptly before she revealed her plans.  
  
"Maybe if you trust me with some of your secrets, I may trust you with some of mine." Jack said.  
  
"So the e-mails. how is she?" Irina asked changing the subject.  
  
"She has amnesia. She began to remember some things but the doctor's prognosis is that the memories that surfaced are scared and confused her. It's making her suppress all the other memories." Jack revealed.  
  
"My god! She's absolutely defenseless!" Irina exclaimed worried.  
  
"She's retained all her physical and mental skills; she just doesn't know how she got them." Jack said quickly assuring her. He silently groaned. He hated that Irina still had the power to make him want to protect her. Ironically, she was the last woman in the world that needed any protecting.  
  
"And she has Sark with her; he'd protect her until we get there." Irina breathed as her panic receded.  
  
"Sark is the biggest danger to Sydney." Jack said voicing his main concern. "He may be using her amnesia to shape her into what he wants. I've been told that he's the only one Sydney trusts or talks to."  
  
"He wouldn't! He couldn't. Jack, we have to get to Sydney, fast." Irina urged as her mind was inundated with frightening possibilities. 


	37. Sydney in Wonderland

Chapter 37: Sydney in Wonderland  
  
Sydney couldn't sleep. She felt torn by the two entities that were beginning to develop within her. The Sydney side of her was dangerous, unpredictable, restless, and ran on instinct. She was more comfortable with the Sarah side, optimistic, curious, less intense about everything, and just enjoyed things without having to analyze it to death. She couldn't understand why Sark was so adamant about bring out the side that was Sydney. He went on and on about her protecting herself from danger. What danger? She couldn't see how she could possibly be in danger, not in this fortress of a mansion.  
  
Since it was plain that she wasn't going to be able to sleep, Sydney slipped out of bed. She opened the door cautiously and smiled tentatively at the black suit wearing security guard posted outside.  
  
"I'm going to walk around for a bit." She explained to him and quickly darted from the room and down the hall. She heard him talk into his communicator as he followed her.  
  
"This is Cerberus, Anastasia is on the move. Requesting new orders..."  
  
Sydney rolled her eyes at the codenames. She grinned mischievously, a game of hide and seek was just what she needed. She rounded a corner and then darted into the second room on her right. She quickly scanned the room noticing the hidden camera. She disabled it quickly. She then stepped outside onto the balcony and out of view just as the door opened.  
  
"Are you sure she's in here?" Security guy Cerberus said as he quickly searched the room.  
  
Sydney quietly jumped from one balcony to the one next to it. Then from that balcony, she dropped to the ledge on the floor below. She slid along the ledge until she found a window that was open and climbed back into the mansion. The room was dark and small. It looked like an office. She scanned the room and was surprise to not find any hidden cameras.  
  
She sat in the executive leather chair, leaned back and put up her feet on the desk. All that was missing was a cigar and a drink. She noticed that there was a humidor on the desk so she opened the lid and grabbed a cigar. She then laid back and pantomimed smoking it. She leaned back into the chair only this time, the walls looked like they were growing higher and the ceiling was moving farther away.  
  
Sydney shook her head wondering if she was more tired then she thought. But the ceiling was getting farther and farther away. She was in an elevator, she finally surmised. Once the room stopped dropping, Sydney got to her feet and walked through the door feeling a little like Alice in Wonderland.  
  
The room she entered was lit by a large fireplace in the center of the room. There were two couches and several armchairs surrounding the fireplace. There were shelves two stories high filled with books. Classical music filled the air softly and the warmth from the fire made the room enchanting.  
  
Sydney stepped toward the books and the shelves lit up as if by magic. Motion censored lighting she thought impressed. She wondered how a person would reach the books on the top shelves. She ran her fingers along the books as she walked along the room. She stopped when she sensed a presence in the room.  
  
"I've been expecting you!" The voice said warmly from one of the armchairs.  
  
"Oh, hello! I hope I'm not intruding." Sydney said automatically feeling like an intruder. Then as her brain digested his words she felt foolish. He'd said he'd been expecting her. "I'm Sarah, or rather Sydney to my friends though at the moment I like Sarah a lot more then I like Sydney." Sydney babbled.  
  
"Sarah, Sydney, it doesn't matter what you call yourself, it's who you are that matters." The voice said wisely though a little cryptically. "My name is Charles."  
  
Sydney stepped toward him trying to make out his features.  
  
"Lights, up 4 point." Charles commanded and the room brightened.  
  
She could now see his features. He was very old and hooked up to several machines. She'd expected someone slightly younger because of his strong voice.  
  
A vague memory surfaced and disappeared. "I know you!" Sydney said trying to regain the elusive memory.  
  
"This is the first time we've met in person, though I've been searching for you all my life." Charles said truthfully.  
  
"Why?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Because you're special and capable of great things." Charles responded eyes smiling.  
  
"Can you tell me who I am?" Sydney asked hopefully. "I know it's a strange question but I can't remember anything."  
  
"Ah yes, the accident, you had us all worried." Charles sadly.  
  
It was just then that Sydney notice that Charles's mouth didn't move when he spoke.  
  
As if reading her mind he explained why. "After my last stroke I was unable to speak, my scientists developed this machine linking to my brain and allowing my thoughts to have a voice. It's the first prototype."  
  
"How do you stop the things you don't want said?" Sydney asked.  
  
"They're still working on it." Charles said eyes smiling.  
  
"So if I asked you a question, you'd automatically answer it?" Sydney asked.  
  
"I see where you're going with this my dear. I have developed my own defense in case I'm interrogated." He warned.  
  
Sydney slumped into a chair. "I knew it would have been too easy." She said frustrated.  
  
"Patience my dear. Truth takes time." Charles said trying to comfort her.  
  
"I would be more patient if people would just leave me alone. They all want something from me and I can't figure out what it is!" Sydney confided. "Sark keeps trying to change me into his Sydney and keeps warning me about danger."  
  
"Mr. Sark wants you to be Sydney?" Charles asked puzzled interrupting her. "I would have thought that he would be trying to turn you into another Sarah.  
  
"Another Sarah? What do you mean?" Sydney asked confused.  
  
"I'm sorry but it's not my story to tell. I do have something that you may find interesting. Library. Search author Radcliff comma Sarah. Title. Diary. Retrieve." Charles ordered. The shelved began to move and shift. After about a minute, a small electronic robot shaped like a dog appeared to Charles right and dropped a leather bound book into his lap.  
  
Sydney smiled as she realized how automated and advanced the room was. It was impressive and someday, she wanted a room just like it.  
  
"This diary was written by Sarah Radcliff. She died before it was her time. I've hidden something within it. When you find it, I recommend you not view it until you've fully recovered your memory." Charles said handing the diary to her with a shaking right hand. "Keep it safe."  
  
Sydney was confused, there was another Sarah Radcliff? And what was her connection to Sark? Sydney yawned involuntarily. She was beginning to get tired and sleepy. "I apologize, I." Sydney stopped talking as she realized that Charles had disappeared.  
  
Two security guards came into the room and escorted Sydney back to her room. Sydney was too tired to argue and once she was back in her room she flopped onto the bed and fell asleep with the journal protectively clutched in her arms. 


	38. Wake Up

Chapter 38:  Waking Up

_Sark_ entered an overly bright room where a little girl with beautiful long brown hair sat at a miniature table playing tea party.  She had her back to him but as he moved closer she turned around and smiled at him.  She beckoned him closer.  "Hello, I'm having a tea party, would you like to join me?"  The girl asked in a surprisingly adult manner.__

_"I'm sorry young lady but I am in a bit of a hurry.  I am looking for Sydney Bristow; do you know where I can locate her?"  __Sark__ asked seating himself in one of the tiny chairs._

_The little girl giggled.  "You're so silly!"_

_"Do you know where she is?"  __Sark__ asked again as he took a sip of imaginary tea._

_"I know where she is…and so do you."  The little girl said in a sing song voice._

_"Where is she?"  __Sark__ asked._

_"She's close, very, very close." The girl whispered as her eyes darted around the room as if afraid._

_"Is she in trouble?"  __Sark__ asked worried._

_"Not yet!"  The girl said smiling.  "Do you want to play a game?"_

_"No, time.__  I have to find __Sydney__."  _Sark___ said but he couldn't get up from the chair.  "What is happening?  I cannot move."  __Sark__ said looking to the girl for answers._

_The girl looked sad.  "There is only one way to leave my tea party…"  She said shaking her head.  "Stay and play with me a while, I have lots of tea and cake."_

_"I do not like tea and I do not like cake, I need to find __Sydney__, her life is at stake."  __Sark__ replied Seuss-ishly.  He was quickly losing control of the situation and he didn't like it._

_"But you will insult Jack Bear, Irina the Ballerina, and GI Mike if you leave so soon."  The girl admonished him.  _

_Sark__ looked at the bear, ballerina, and GI figures that were sitting around the table.  The longer he looked the more they became the real Jack Bristow, Irina Derevko, and Michael Vaughn._

_"Let him leave, we don't need him!"  Vaughn said disdainfully as he shifted his rocket launcher from one shoulder to the other._

_"If you leave, I'll only have to bring you back."  Jack said darkly as he crossed his hairy arms in front of him._

_"Please stay a little longer; there are so many things I can teach you."  Irina bribed smiling as she raised her arms over her head and tilted her head to stretch out her body.  She looked quite fetching in her ballerina attire._

_"I'll stay a little longer if you tell me where I can find __Sydney__."  _Sark___ compromised.  He looked down and realized that he was wearing a tux and his entire body was quite stiff.  He'd turned into a Ken doll._

_Irina__, Jack, Vaughn and the little girl burst out into laughter._

_"Open your eyes young pup!"  Jack roared between laughs._

_"Sark really, have you not figured it out yet?" Irina asked reproachfully._

_"You stupid fool; she's right in front of you."  Michael scoffed rolling his eyes and tipped his helmet up._

_The little girl giggled as __Sark_ stared at her, enlightened.__

_"But you're so young!"  __Sark__ exclaimed puzzled._

_"And she's going to stay that way!" Jack warned gruffly as he brushed some crumbs from his furry chest._

_"She's safer that way."  Vaughn added as __Sydney__ fed him some cake._

_"Don't worry; she has us to keep her safe."  Irina said as she did a pirouette._

_A face popped out of a box and yelled out "They are coming, there is no escape!"  The face looked suspiciously like Arvin Sloane.  Vaughn and Jack jumped up and stuffed the face back into the box and closed it._

_"I don't want to die."  The little __Sydney__ said sadly shivering._

_"You are not going to die."  __Sark__ said putting his hand over hers.  "I'll protect you."_

_"Do you promise?"  __Sydney_ said brightening.__

_"I promise."  __Sark__ said as he kissed her on the forehead._

_"Oh no!"__  Everyone cried.  They watched in horror as __Sydney__ began to age rapidly._

_There was a loud banging at the door.  _

_"They've come for me!"  Sydney, who had aged to her adult self, cried out fearfully._

_"No!  You're safe, this is only a dream."  __Sark__ said as he woke up._

There was a knock at the door.

"Give me a moment!"  Sark said as he quickly put on a robe.

He opened the door and a few seconds later he was sandwiched in a hug between Irina and Jack.

"We're so glad you're safe darling."  Irina said eyes tearing emotionally.

"Yes, son, you had your mother and I worried sick, you should have called us and let us know where you were!"  Jack admonished gently and gave Sark another half hug.

"Oh Jesus, wake up Sark, wake up!"  Sark whispered under his breath. 


	39. Truth and Lies

Chapter 39:  Truth and Lies

Once the door closed behind the security guard that had escorted Sark's newfound parents to Sark, Irina and Jack's loving façade dropped quicker then Sark could grasp the concept of them actually being in the room.  

Jack grabbed Sark and pinned him to the wall almost choking him to death before Irina stepped in and pulled Jack back.  Before Sark could thank her, she punched him in the stomach.

"What did you do to my daughter you sick son of a bitch!"  Irina growled.

"Really Mother!"  Sark drawled out sarcastically, hiding his feeling of betrayal at her lack of faith in him.  "Is that the proper way to greet your son?"  

Irina had never lied to him; there had never been a personal closeness between them.  In fact she had quashed all his attempts to develop one and he'd stopped trying.  She had helped him reinvent himself into the man he was today and in turn he had shown her absolute loyalty.  That same loyalty had helped prevent him from exploiting her daughter no matter how tempting it had been.  

"What did you do Sark?"  Irina asked again through gritted teeth as Sark's impassive face gave her no clue as to what he was thinking.

"I am what you made me, you trained me well."  Sark said cryptically giving in to his need to punish Irina for her lack of trust in him.  He was in a no win situation, anything he said would either incriminate him or she wouldn't believe it since she had already made up her mind.  

Irina responded with an uppercut that knocked Sark unconscious.  "Bastard!"  

"I thought the plan was to find Sydney first, then knock him out."  Jack said wryly not blaming her for her loss of temper.  He wished he could have been the one to wipe that arrogant smirk of Sark's face.  

"The plan changed."  Irina said angrily.  The punches were not nearly satisfying enough.  God knows what mind games he had played with her daughter.  The sick part of it was that it was she who had taught him the manipulation skills he'd undoubtedly used on Sydney.  

Sark was right; she had made him into the lethal, emotionless, and immoral, 

man he was today.  He had been an apt pupil until he had surpassed even herself in certain areas.  He had been useful and loyal to her until now but had messed with her family, a transgression that was unforgivable. 

The connecting door between Sark and Sydney's room flew open as Sydney rushed into the room excited to tell Sark of her late night adventure.  "Sark, you won't believe what ha….penned."  Sydney trailed off as she noticed the two strangers.  

"Oh, hello!"  Sydney said confused.  Both people looked vaguely familiar.  "Who are you?"  She asked curiously.

The woman looked worried and slightly guilty and the man looked grim.  The man stepped toward her but stopped as he noticed her blank face. 

"Sydney, we're here to get you out."  Jack said keeping his voice calm and even.  Inwardly, he was terrified, Sydney had always been able to take care of herself but all traces of her training seemed to have disappeared.  She had run into the room without checking to see if it was secure first.  Then when confronted my people she didn't recognize, she made no attempt to be disguise her emotions.  She was an open book and she wouldn't last a day the spy world.   

Jack's movement allowed Sydney to see beyond him to Sark's motionless figure. 

"Sark!"  Sydney cried panicked as she dove to the floor next to him.  "Sark, are you ok?  Wake up!  Please wake up!  Sark?" she asked shaking his body.  His body stayed unresponsive.  "Don't leave me, don't leave me!"  Sydney cried pitifully as the fear of losing the only person she trusted overwhelmed her.

The pain in Sydney's voice finally broke through Irina's shock at the discovery of how dependant Sydney was to Sark.  "Sydney, he's only unconscious; he'll be awake in a minute."  Irina said gently touching Sydney's shoulder.

Sydney shook off Irina's hand and gathered Sark in her arms protectively, glaring at the two strangers warily.  "What did you do to him?"   She accused as her fear for Sark's life subsided to anger.

"The question should be what has he done to you?"  Jack spat out disliking the obvious attachment Sydney had formed with Sark.  No doubt under Sark's machinations.  

"Jack!"  Irina cautioned.  She knew that they had to tread very lightly with Sydney.  "Why don't we move him to the bed where he will be more comfortable?"  She said realizing that to gain Sydney's trust, she had to play Sark's "mother" for a little longer then she had planned.

Sydney's eyes narrowed suspiciously, hugging Sark closer to herself.

"I'm so glad that our son has you to take care of him."  Irina lied, slightly stressing the word son.  The words elicited coughing from Jack and a tentative smile from Sydney.  

Irina continued to ramble to put Sydney at ease.  "My husband isn't as uncaring as he comes off; he's just worried about you.  I think he feels responsible for your accident."  Irina explained.

They moved to pick up Sark but Jack stepped in and carried him to the bed.

"Why should he feel responsible, was he there?"  Sydney asked curiously watching Jack toss Sark onto the bed a little more roughly then necessary.

"No, he encouraged Aiden, or Sark as you call him, to be such a daredevil growing up, fast cars and no fear can be a dangerous combination." Irina trailed off.  

"I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust him."  Sydney said matter a fact-ly.

"Sark?"  Irina asked.

"No, well, I do trust Sark but I was talking about your husband."  Sydney clarified.  "I feel like I know him.  It was the same thing I felt when I first met Sark after the accident."

"And me?  What do your instincts say about me?"  Irina asked not being able to help herself.

"You seem familiar, I feel like I should know you.  But I'm sorry I don't remember you."  Sydney replied diplomatically.  Her instincts told her that this woman wanted something from her.  Sydney didn't distrust her but she wasn't completely at ease with her. 

"We have met before haven't we?"  Sydney asked.

"Yes, though I wasn't there to see you grow up, I have always thought of you as my daughter."  Irina said truthfully.  Sydney still had the slightly wary look in her eyes when Irina spoke to her but the anger was gone, unlike their first reunion.  Maybe this was a good opportunity to repair her relationship with her daughter.  

"Oh!"  Sydney groaned.  "But I don't even know your name!"  She said feeling a little guilty.

"My name is Laura."  Irina said ignoring the deadly glare from Jack.  "And my husband's name is..."

"Jack."  Sydney interrupted Laura.

"Do you remember me?"  Jack asked hopefully.

"No, Laura called you Jack earlier."  Sydney said noticing the disappointment that Jack quickly hid.  She concentrated and tried to recall something.  

_"Oh, Jack Bristow, I love it!" Laura said throwing her arms around her husband.  In her hand she held a leather bound book of Crime and Punishment in Russian.  "I can't believe that after all these years, you still remember."  _

_"It's the same book you were looking at when I first met you."  Jack said gruffly with a small smile on his face.  "It's taken me a while to track it down but I finally found it.  I remembered the inscription on the first page…"_

_Laura looked inside the book.  "Oh Jack!  It is the same book!  All that time and effort to find this book, I would have been happy with a regular copy."_

_"It had to be the real thing.  You are the one thing in my life that is real and good, you deserve more that I can ever give you." Jack said urgently._

_"Jack, don't you know that all I want is you.  I don't need anything more then that.  No wait, there is something I want."  Laura said smiling wickedly._

_"Whatever it is, it's yours!"  Jack vowed._

_"I want another baby." Laura said simply._

_"Are you sure?"  Jack asked gently._

_"Positive!"  Laura said eyes glowing._

_"Then I guess we should get started!"  He teased grabbing her._

_"Have I told you how much I love you?" She said looking into his eyes._

_"As I recall, not since last night and I think I'm about due one right now."  Jack said playfully as he lifted her into his arms causing her to squeal and laugh girlishly._

_"Jack Bristow, I love you!  If I forget to tell you tomorrow or the day after that, I love you, I love you, I love you!"  Laura said kissing him in between each I love you._

"I remember something!"  Sydney said excitedly as the memory stayed vivid in her mind, not fading like the others.  "It was your birthday Laura…and Jack had given you a book, a Russian copy of Crime and Punishment.  You were talking about having another child."  

"That was a long time ago; I'm surprised you remember it."  Irina said pointedly avoiding Jack's angry gaze.  She still remembered that day and that damn book that had destroyed everything. 

"So it really happened!  I can even remember exactly what I was thinking too.  It was that moment that I promised myself that I would marry a man that would love me as much as Jack loved you."  Sydney said smiling.  She didn't notice the awkwardness her words had created between Jack and Irina because at that moment Sark groaned.

"Sark!"  Sydney said rushing to the bed.  "Hey, are you ok?  What happened?"  

Sark groaned again.  "Didn't they tell you what happened?" 

"No, we were just introducing ourselves and then I remembered something."  Sydney said excitedly.

"Really?  What?"  Sark said glancing at Irina and Jack, assessing the situation.  

"It was so clear, so vivid; I could remember exactly what I was feeling at that moment."  Sydney explained euphorically.  This was her first happy non confusing memory and it felt wonderful.  

"And what were you feeling?"  Sark asked.  This was the first time ever that Sydney had added emotions to her memories.  She had always been detached from the memories, refusing to believe they were hers.  

"I was happy Sark.  I felt like I belonged and… I was loved.  It's strange that it's a memory of your parents that brought on that feeling.  Tell me about my parents Sark!"  Sydney commanded brows furrowing as an unpleasant thought occurred to her.

Sark reading her mind put her at ease.  "They'll be here before you know it."  He said truthfully.  

Relieved, Sydney leaned into Sark.  Sark shot up from the bed causing Sydney to almost fall over.  Jack and Irina didn't miss the hurt look that was evident in Sydney's eyes at Sark's rejection.  "If you will excuse me Sydney I need to introduce Jack and I.."  Sark was cut off my Jack.  

"Laura, needs her rest."  Jack interrupted before Sark could give away Irina's real name.  "We traveled all night and she must be exhausted.  Sydney, maybe we could talk after I get Laura situated?"

"I'd like that."  Sydney said smiling.

"I don't need a nap, I'm fine right here."  Irina protested.  She knew what Jack was up to.  He was trying to prevent her from making any headway with Sydney.  

"Darling, you can't hide anything from me; you need to take a break before you injure yourself."  Jack said grabbing her arm.    

Irina grudgingly allowed Jack to drag her from the room. 

"After my…"  Irina began but the door closed before she could finish her sentence.

Sydney stared at the close door for a moment before staying anything.  "You have very peculiar parents."  She told Sark.


End file.
